If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s National Nurses Week! This year, the theme is “Nursing: The Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit.” Sure, there’s only one week that’s officially dedicated to nurses, but working to balance the mind, body, and spirit shouldn’t end here. The ANA also declared 2017 to be the Year of the Healthy Nurse.
Many different companies and agencies offer some great discounts to thank nurses, in addition to some awesome contests/sweepstakes to win free items. For example, Travel Nurse Source is running a sweepstakes on our Facebook for one nurse to win a Charge 2 HR Fitbit. So, be sure to check out the rules and enter! Really though, who doesn’t like free stuff?
Whether it’s Nurses Week or not, TNS is dedicated to providing nurses with tips and guides to help lead a healthy personal life and to grow professionally. Not only is it beneficial to live a healthy life, but a healthy nurse also provides better quality care to patients. If you don’t already, we challenge you to spend some time this week taking steps to balance the mind, body, and spirit. Here are a few tips to get you started!
6 Tips to Balance the Mind, Body, and Spirit
1. Be Thankful
You might be thinking, “I already am thankful,” but how often do you actually stop and think about it? Setting aside a few minutes per day to think or write what you’re grateful for can drastically improve your mood. It’ll push you to focus on the good things in life, instead of getting hung up on the not-so-good things. Whether it’s about your family, friends, nature, or any other positive events of the day, reflect on what makes you happy. You can even invest in a gratitude journal to encourage this practice.
2. Avoid Gossip and Drama
We all know that gossip and drama aren’t left in high school, and you probably experience a lot of it if you work in a hospital. It’s also likely that you’ve worked with a nurse that bullies and/or a nurse that LOVES drama. It can be hard to disassociate yourself with certain people especially if you see them every day, but try to steer clear of the gossip. Obviously, you’ll want to keep civil relationships for the purpose of being professional. But, watch what you say and don’t contribute gossip to conversations – even if someone else is.
3. Smile & Laugh More
Smiling might be the simplest tip to help balance the mind, body, and spirit. It’s typically something that just happens and requires little thought. Smiles are contagious, so not only are you helping yourself, but you could also be helping others around you. It’s also important to not take yourself too seriously. While your job can be demanding and pretty serious since you’re in charge of other human lives, you still need to have some fun!
4. Read and Learn
Don’t let your education end at graduation. Continue to learn new things, whether it applies to nursing or not. Opening your mind to new interests and possibilities will expand your mind and allow you to grow spiritually. Knowledge is power, and there’s always something new in the world.
5. Get Enough Sleep
You’ve probably had tons of people tell you this already, but it really is important! Getting enough sleep can be a huge turning point to balance the mind, body, and spirit since it affects all three. It can be hard to find the time to get enough sleep with your busy schedule, but here are some sleep tips that might help. Don’t forget, naps are your friend!
6. Travel
If you’re a travel nurse, you’ve already got this one covered. Traveling exposes you to different cultures and ways of life. Being open to the differences in the world will truly help in balancing the mind, body, and spirit. Traveling is a life-changing experience for most people, and it can affect many aspects of our life and overall wellness. There’s much more to this world than what you’re familiar with, so go explore!
May 10, 2017
This is fantastic , iam motivated by the theme of this year nurses week and its attributes. Let us all embrase this and live a happier life while serving humanity.