What is Self Care?
- What people do for themselves to establish and maintain health and to help prevent and treat illness
- Broad concept that encompasses hygiene, nutrition, lifestyle, and socio-economic factors
- Highly individualized
- Health care workers often overlook this aspect
Benefits
- When a nurse promotes their own health, they are more likely to provide optimal care to others
- Nurses are able to serve as role models by adhering to their own set of self care standards and health standards
- Self care reduces compassion fatigue (often experienced by nurses who work in emotionally and physically exhausting environments)
- Thoughtful self care practices can help to minimize the detrimental effects of stress by enhancing mood and boosting energy
- By incorporating self care practices into the workplace (e.g. taking breaks) this can increase the nurses energy and concentration levels which may result in better patient care
- Self care can lead to lowered stress which decreases turn over rates and increases job satisfaction
Examples
- Getting adequate sleep
- Personal hobbies (listening to the music, drawing/colouring, journaling)
- Accessing workplace resources (counselling, recreation/fitness passes, using extended health benefits)
- Limiting work hours to decrease burnout rate
- Incorporating regular exercise outside of workplace
- Consuming a balanced diet
- Deep breathing exercises (meditation, yoga)
- Stress reduction activities (taking a bath, cuddling pets, cooking, writing lists)
- Stats
Do we practice what we preach?
A survey of 335 nurses regarding levels of physical activity, amount of time being sedentary and fruit and vegetable consumption concluded that Job satisfaction = Promotion of Self Care
Additionally, 80.1% of those interviewed spent at least 3 hours per day being sedentary.
Adimando, A. (2017). Preventing and Alleviating Compassion Fatigue Through Self-Care: An Educational Workshop for Nurses. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 36(4), 304–317. doi: 10.1177/0898010117721581 -International Self Care Foundation. (n.d.). What is self care?. Retrieved from https://isfglobal.org/what-is-self-care/ -Ross et al. (2018) Nurses and health-promoting self-care: Do we practice what we preach? Journal of Nursing Management, 27(3), 599-608. Retrieved March 4, 2020. doi:10.1111/jonm/12718
