Four nurse educator self-care tips to inspire health and wellness

Control your calendar

The first step to re-energize is to re-organize. Begin with a fresh calendar and purposely plan your semester. We start off each semester scheduling dedicated office hours to be available for our students, but do we intentionally schedule me time to recharge in our week? It is time that we block out time, 30 minutes, one hour, even 15 minutes, specifically for quiet time alone where you could plug in, breathe, and recharge. As the saying goes, “if it isn’t documented, it isn’t done.” The same holds true for me time, if we do not put it on our planner, it will not get done.

Take the time to make yourself a priority. Put it on your calendar and give yourself the moment you deserve. Have a quiet cup of tea, take a walk, and breathe in the fresh air, meditate, or just sit quietly in your office. Whatever it is, reward yourself for the great work you are doing, you earned it!

Find a new project to jump-start your professional passion

We are all nurse educators because we love what we do. We love sharing our knowledge and expertise and watching nursing students blossom into caring, critical thinkers, who are ready to conquer their entry-level position. But sometimes, along the way, the spark of enthusiasm begins to fade, and we fall prey to the monotony of routine. If there is anything good that came from the pandemic, it showed us that nurse educators are creative and innovative and have the flame to reignite that sparkler of passion for nursing education that we all once had.

You might begin by sharing an innovative project or active learning lesson plan that you created during the pandemic in a publication. Many nursing education journals have dedicated sections for teaching tips or syllabus selections that only require a minimum number of words without citations. Perhaps getting your work published will get your creative juices bubbling once again. Be brave, be vulnerable, take the leap, try something you’ve always wanted to do. You just might find that working through the pandemic has given you the courage to finally make it happen!

Curiosity cultivates character

Resilient faculty are curious. Resilient faculty experience challenges and search for the meaning and discovery of what could be learned. When the pandemic turned nursing education upside down, curiosity led to some fantastic discoveries which helped to propel nursing education into a place where innovation and creativity are now commonplace. Nurse educators should continue to cultivate that curiosity of discovery and learning so that we can not only better serve our students today but entice and reach the students of tomorrow. Being able to ask questions, remain inquisitive, show our vulnerability allows us to remain open to new ideas and, perhaps, better ways of doing things.

Find your positivity squad

We all know that energy is contagious. You’ve all been there. That one co-worker walks in the room, begins to complain and suddenly you feel that little twinge of headache poking you from behind your left eyeball. Not this year, not following the pandemic! It is time to recognize the toxic people in the workplace and try your best to distance yourself from that negative energy. Sure, sometimes it is easier said than done. Well, that is where your positivity squad comes in.

These are the people with who you align best. Those that love what they do and when you are with them the creative, positive, vibes fill the atmosphere and great ideas take root. Reach out to these people as the semester starts. Make a pact that you will each help to pull each other up when one is feeling down, or their emotional battery needs recharging. Make it a point to spend time together and share empowering stories. The beginning of the academic semester is the ideal time to start the positivity squad which can be a source of strength all year long.

There is no doubt that we have lived through one of the most challenging times in nursing education. Taking the time to recharge your emotional and professional battery is an important step to take to help you find the power to keep growing and thriving in a profession that you love. Taking a moment to step back and recalibrate our professional selves will help us to recenter and get back to the core of who we are as nurse educators.

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