Nurse Well-Being Learning Library

Oncology Nursing Society Well-Being Library

Take some time to assess your own well-being and identify those areas in your life that you would like to mend or prioritize activities that you already know bring you joy and promote healing. If you are not quite sure what those areas are, try a variety of these methods to see what works best for you. Use the list below to help you with ideas.

Featured Resource

Immersive Wellness Breaks

Do you need a minute to refresh your mind and spirit?  Take an immersive wellness break.  These wellness breaks are short snippets of either breathing exercises or mindful escapes to help you refocus and recharge. Constant stimulation can cause our brains to lose focus.  Taking a mindful break periodically will help your brain relax and start your new task with renewed energy.   Take a minute to enjoy a break and return as often as you like!

"Take a Minute for You" Resources

Download one or more of the following images to help you find a relaxing moment as you work through your day. Some ideas on how to utilize these posters are to hang in a central place on your unit, use them as a screensaver for your computer, or as a digital background for virtual meetings. We have included a post-it size (3x3) option if you would like to add it after your email signature or print and affix to a notebook or next to your computer screen.

Joy poster sample
Breathe poster sample
Happy Place poster sample
Grateful poster sample

Immersive Wellness Breaks

Do you need a minute to refresh your mind and spirit?  Take an immersive wellness break.  These wellness breaks are short snippets of either breathing exercises or mindful escapes to help you refocus and recharge. Constant stimulation can cause our brains to lose focus.  Taking a mindful break periodically will help your brain relax and start your new task with renewed energy.   Take a minute to enjoy a break and return as often as you like!

Personal Well-Being Activities

Physical Well-Being Linked resources will take you to the source on how to implement these activities
Sleep/Rest & RewindRest, Unwind and Reflect
Nutrition

Tea Soothes Your Soul and Supports Your Well-Being

Intuitive Eating Creates Healthy Food Rituals

Take care of your feetSelf-Care for the Soles
Plan a Vacation

Checklist For a Stress-Free Vacation

Why You Need to Use your Vacation Benefits

Spring Cleaning

Spring Clean Your Home and Heart

Clear the Clutter with this Chinese Discipline

Emotional/Spiritual Well-Being 
SmileAmazing Power of a Smile
Laugh/watch funny videosLaugh Every Day for the Health of It
Meditation/Guided Imagery/Mindfulness

How to Mediate

5-Minute Meditation

10-Minute meditation

Set boundaries/prioritize your time

It's Okay to Put Yourself First Sometimes

Establish Healthy Boundaries

Prioritize Your Time

Recognize your humannessTake These Healthy Steps to Come Back from an Unexpected Event
Make a social connectionONS Members' Patient and Nurse Wellness Programs Embody Black History Month
Positive affirmationsUse a Self-Care Mantra to Boost Compassion
Intellectual/Creative Well-Being 
StorytellingUse Storytelling to Hear your Patient's Voice
ReadYou Are What You Read
JournalingWriting for Wellness
Art/coloring/painting

Color Out Your Stress and Anxiety

Coloring Mandalas for Stress Relief

Self-Care Coloring Page

Art of Paper Folding

Music/listen/play

How Music can Soothe your Savage Beast-Stress

Music Reminds You of the Love You Deserve

Learn a new skill/take a free courseSearch for Learning Opportunities with ONS

 

Unit-Based Well-Being Activities

Recognize a coworker programUnit pause after a difficult eventTeam building exercises
Random acts of kindnessThemed lunchesStaff birthday calendar
Team time with the ChaplainWelcome bags for new gradsBoards with well-being activities
Well-being championsTeam huddlesCreate a gratitude tree
Create a mindfulness cornerMake a vision boardShare kudos at staff meetings
Well-being challenges Massage pad/chairPositive message board

 

Systems-Level Approaches to Well-Being

ResourceWhat You Will Find
Nurse Well-Being: Building Peer and Leadership SupportThis resource provides a Stress Self-Assessment and information on building a Nurse Well-Being: Building Peer and Leadership Support Program, which was adapted by nurses for nurses.
PH-HERO Workforce Resource CenterThis website includes a curated collection of resources that address moral injury, burnout, resilience, and retention for public health agency leaders, supervisors, and team members. 
Oncology Nurse Retreat: A Strength-Based Approach To Self-Care and Personal ResilienceThis CJON article discusses an oncology nurse retreat that focuses on self-care
Massage Chair Sessions: Favorable Effects on Ambulatory Cancer Center Nurses’ Perceived Level of Stress, Blood Pressure, and Heart RateThis CJON article discusses the effectiveness of using nurse breaks for self-care.
The Thrive Program: Building Oncology Nurse Resilience Through Self-Care Strategies
This CJON article discusses the THRIVE© program and its outcomes on nurse resilience. The program consists of an eight-hour retreat focusing on self-care strategies, a six-week private group study interaction on social media, and a two-hour wrap-up session.
A Call to Action: Exploring Moral Resilience Toward a Culture of Ethical Practicep. 12 includes recommendations for organizations across practice settings to cultivate and support moral resilience. Other parts of the document include recommendations for individuals and leaders along with the research findings around moral resilience.
The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health, Chapter 10: Supporting the Health and Professional Well-Being of Nurses
This resource describes the implications for nurse well-being and presents a well-being framework that can be followed that which approached for addressing nurses’ health and wellness.

Articles

ONS Voice articles:

Below are examples of ONS Voice articles. Visit voice.ons.org to search for additional articles.

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:

Below are examples of the types of articles you can find within ONS’s Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (CJON) and Oncology Nursing Forum (ONF) publications. Go to the journal search page to discover additional articles. Use these tips to search efficiently.

Resiliency Resources from the Oncology Nursing Foundation

The Oncology Nursing Foundation has developed resources to support oncology nurses in developing healthy routines, learn stress management techniques, and practice self-care. This curated content includes a Wellness Wisdom video series, breathing exercises, calming yoga offerings, and much more.

For a full list of resources, you can visit their Resiliency Resources page.

Supporting Nurse Well-Being Also Supports Magnet Recognition

Your well-being is essential—for you, for ONS, for the entire nursing profession, and now for ANCC’s Magnet recognition program. 

Well-being has long been a priority for the American Nurses Association (ANA), ANCC’s parent organization. Now, the ANA Enterprise asks healthcare institutions to join its commitment, making foundational support of nurses’ well-being an application requirement in its 2023 Magnet Application Manual. Nurse well-being is essential at both the organizational and unit levels, and Magnet-designated organizations’ nurse leaders must advocate for and acquire resources to support nurses’ well-being through strategic planning and involving both leaders and nurses in direct patient care across the organization.  

ONS’s well-being resources support you, personally and professionally, and your organization on its journey to Magnet recognition.  

ONS Learning Libraries

Collections of topic-specific content curated to catalog education and resources on a similar topic.

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