Health and wellness (both physical & mental) are especially important for nurses to prioritize because so often nurses neglect their own health and wellness because they are focused on taking care of others. In addition, due to the reality of a nurse's job (long hours & shifts, inconsistent schedules, physical and emotional hardships), it requires more intentionality to prioritize your physical and mental health than other jobs.
Why Prioritize Your Health?
If nurses neglect their own health and wellness, it will in turn affect their capacity to take care of their patients and could lead to burnout, overall unhappiness & quality of life.
Running on empty and serving from an empty cup is not a sustainable way to work. Nurses must work to look after their own health before they can affectively look after the health of others.
Benefits of Prioritizing Your Physical Health
Being physically active can:
- improve your brain health
- help manage weight
- reduce the risk of disease
- strengthen bones and muscles
- improve your ability to do everyday activities.
Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits. For nurses specifically, better overall fitness will improve your ability to effectively perform the physical tasks you do every day, such as assisting and transferring patients, transporting equipment, or simply walking to your assigned patients throughout a shift.
How to Improve Your Physical Health and Wellness
Both your physical health and your overall wellness (including mental health) will be positively impacted by your attention to:
- proper nutrition
- quality sleep
- exercise
Improved health does not happen overnight. You must be intentional about making lifestyle choices that promote your health. The most sustainable way to improve your health is to take slow and steady steps- small decisions every day- toward a healthier you. Work to create and maintain small healthy habits that build to have a compound effect on your health.
| Related Reading: Check out additional ways to level up your physical health and wellness by reading about
physical therapy and
yoga.
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