Mindfulness in nursing: finding calm in the chaos

Nursing is the world of alarms and urgency where mindfulness gives nurses strength – a moment to breathe, make self-reflection, and shift chaos into a calm and compassionate presence.

Understanding mindfulness

Mindfulness practices originate from the ancient Indian concept of ‘Sati’, which refers to awareness, attentiveness, or recollection (Ancient Traditions). It is a state that focuses on the present moment and the environment without being distracted by thoughts of the past or the future (Guillaumie et al., 2017). The practice of mindfulness enables nurses to observe their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behavior with complete awareness, which helps in reducing stress and building emotional resilience. Being mindful doesn’t mean escaping from chaos and challenges  –it’s about facing them with calmness and clarity.

Mindfulness impact in nursing

Mindfulness is an important practice in nursing, as it supports nurses in building emotional resilience and creating a strong nurse-patient relationship.

Being mindful doesn’t mean escaping from chaos and challenges  –it’s about facing them with calmness and clarity.

The job of a nurse is demanding and stressful, including long hours along with challenging situations. The rush and excessive and insufficient number of employees experienced at work puts a strain on the nurses. According to Tehy´s (A trade union for employees and students from the social care, healthcare and early childhood education sectors) results (Aula Reseach, 2023) 35 per cent of health care professional under 30 years of age don´t believe that they will continue working in the social and health care sector until the end of their working career. Experienced well-being at work plays a role in the experience of coping at work. Could improving the well-being of the work community support work engagement?

Feeling overworked or overburdened is a common mental and emotional experience for nurses. By practicing mindfulness, they could better care for themselves and their patients, which allows them to take a minute to relax, maintain attention, and manage stress in a better way.

Simple practices to recharge during nursing shifts

In the busy and stressful schedules of nurses, mindfulness plays a role as a powerhouse to recharge and remain calm, focused, and emotionally balanced. Nurses can reduce their stressful situations through simple mindfulness practices like deep breathing, self-reflection, compassion practice, gratitude pause, mindful walking, and grounding exercise (Mindful, 2015; Mindful Exercises, n.d.). These practices make them respond consciously to stressful work anto stay focused and respond with patience and care. Overall, mindfulness creates a strong foundation where nurses can recharge themselves and strengthen their mental and emotional resilience for well-being.

References

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Guillaumie, L., Boiral, O., & Champagne, J. (2017). A mixed-methods systematic review of the effects of mindfulness on nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(5), 1017–1034. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13176

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