ANA: Nurses Should Remember the Importance of Self-Care
Nurses are selfless caregivers. However, compared to the average American, they are more likely (https://www.healthynursehealthynation.org/en/about/research/) to be overweight, have higher levels of stress, and get less than the recommended hours of sleep. Long shifts and work hazards only exacerbate nurses’ propensity for those factors. In response, the American Nurses Association (ANA) is raising awareness for nurses to think about themselves.
The Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ Grand Challenge (https://www.healthynursehealthynation.org/) is a social movement to transform the health of the nation by improving the health of the United States’ four million RNs. The program connects and engages nurses, employers, and organizations around improving health in five areas: physical activity, nutrition, rest, quality of life, and safety.
The Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ Grand Challenge is free to join and offers access to monthly challenges (https://engage.healthynursehealthynation.org/events), discussion forums, prize giveaways (https://p2a.co/TJkfGmc), periodic health assessment surveys (https://www.healthynursehealthynation.org/en/about/survey/), and a commitment wall (https://engage.healthynursehealthynation.org/commitments) where nurses can post progress updates and areas they want to improve.
Join the challenge (https://engage.healthynursehealthynation.org/events) and use #healthynurse on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthynursehealthynation/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/healthynurseusa/), or Twitter (https://twitter.com/healthynurseusa) to connect with other nurses and support each other in the pursuit of healthier lifestyles. For ideas to get started, check out some of the resources in the sidebar.