Nurses work under pressure most every day. With the constantly changing environment of health care, staffing needs and higher patient acuity, there can be increased stress and burnout. Most of us know that self-care is important but fail to do that for ourselves. In recent developments, integrative approaches are being used for patient care and for self-care. Mindfulness can be one of the interventions to create a more positive balance for nurses.
John Kabat-Zinn describes the mindful approach as “what arises when you pay attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally, in the present moment” (Halm, 2017). Mindfulness can help us to be aware, be open and accepting and allow us to respond to a situation, rather than react to it. Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) corresponds to mind/body/spirit well-being for nurses. This can be effective almost immediately. MBSR helps to focus attention and awareness and enhances our emotional responses. This type of intervention is very useful for cultivating when faced with a busy day of caregiving. This can affect the care we give, fostering more person-centered care and improve our job satisfaction, as well as contributing to quality patient care. Make time for your mindfulness practice. Create a mini group at work where you set aside 10 minutes to be mindful of your surroundings, non-judgmental, notice how you feel and just “be” for 5 minutes.
References:
Helm, M. (2017. The role of mindfulness in enhancing self-care for nurses. American Journal of Critical Care.