Nurse Self-Care: Prioritizing You This Nurses Week

Nurses are often the first to care for others and the last to care for themselves. Long hours, emotional demands, and ever-growing responsibilities make self-care feel like a luxury. But in truth, self-care is a professional obligation, one that protects your well-being, sharpens your clinical judgment, and improves patient outcomes.

As we begin Nurses Week 2025, CE Ready is celebrating nurses not just for what they do, but for who they are, and that starts with a reminder: you matter, too.

Why Self-Care Isn’t Optional in Nursing

Self-care in nursing is about more than bubble baths and breaks, it’s about building resilience, emotional stability, and longevity in your career. According to the American Nurses Association, high stress and poor self-care are directly linked to:

Increased burnout
Higher turnover rates
Patient safety risks
Compassion fatigue

By putting your needs back on the list, you’re not being selfish, you’re being strategic.

Mental & Emotional Self-Care for Nurses

1. Set Boundaries
Nurses are wired to say “yes,” but learning when to say “no” protects your emotional bandwidth. Set limits with overtime, emails, or off-hours calls when possible.

2. Practice Mindfulness
Even 5 minutes of deep breathing or mindful silence can reduce cortisol and improve clarity. Apps like Insight Timer or Calm can help.

3. Journal the Hard Days
Writing down your thoughts after a tough shift helps process emotions and prevent emotional buildup.

4. Seek Peer Support
Sharing your struggles with another nurse, someone who truly gets it, can provide comfort and perspective.

Physical Self-Care for a Demanding Role

1. Hydrate and Nourish
It sounds simple, but many nurses go entire shifts without proper hydration or nutrition. Prep snacks, drink water, and don’t skip meals.

2. Move Your Body
Nursing is physically demanding, but that doesn’t replace intentional movement. Stretch, walk, or try yoga to ease joint strain and improve circulation.

3. Prioritize Sleep
Shift work can disrupt your sleep cycles. Aim for consistent hours off-shift, use blackout curtains, and limit screens before bed.

4. Listen to Your Body
Pain, fatigue, and headaches are not badges of honor, they are signals. Don’t ignore them.

Workplace Self-Care Strategies

1. Use Your PTO
If you’re hoarding your paid time off – stop. Use it. Rest isn’t a reward, it’s a requirement.

2. Create a Restorative Space
Even a locker with essential oils, a photo of a loved one, or a stress ball can bring peace between patients.

3. Advocate for Support
Push for realistic patient ratios, mental health resources, and leadership that values wellness.

4. Celebrate Small Wins
Did a patient smile? Did you teach something meaningful? Reflect on what went well, even on hard days.

Self-Care as a Professional Standard

Self-care isn’t “extra”, it’s foundational. The ANA Code of Ethics even includes provisions for nurses to care for themselves. Why? Because healthy nurses provide safer, more compassionate, and more sustainable care.

This Nurses Week, reflect not just on your accomplishments, but on how you’re nurturing the nurse behind the badge.

A Message from CE Ready

At CE Ready, we see you, not just as a professional, but as a person. This Nurses Week, we honor the energy, empathy, and excellence you bring to every shift. And we encourage you to care for yourself with the same intention you give to your patients.

References

American Nurses Association. (2024). Self-Care for Nurses

National Academy of Medicine. (2025). Clinician Well-Being and Resilience Initiative