Mental and physical exhaustion is at an all-time high for nurses and health care professionals. Given the difficult times we’re in, our self-care series is meant to bring hope. We will share resources to help you care for yourself and your loved ones. We need to be healthy ourselves to be there for our patients and colleagues.
Below, find a list of self-care resources for UNAC/UHCP members and the public. Check back frequently as this page will be updated often.
Gun Deaths, Violence and Mental Health in America
Use this fact sheet to understand the relationship between firearm-related deaths and mental health conditions: https://www.mhanational.org/gun-deaths-violence-and-mental-health
Managing Workplace Fatigue during COVID-19
Here are some general strategies to manage workplace fatigue: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/managing-workplace-fatigue.html?deliveryName=USCDC_425-DM28641
Mental Health and Emotional Wellness
Calm is an app for meditation and sleep—designed to help lower stress, reduce anxiety, and more. KP members can access all the premium features of the Calm app at no cost. https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/mental-health/tools-resources/digital
Free Crisis Counseling
Text FRONTLINE to 741741 for immediate chat support and free crisis counseling for health care professionals and essential workers. Offers support to deal with anxiety, fear, isolation, or other difficult emotions you may be experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.forthefrontlines.org/
Clinician Well-Being and Resilience
Clinician well-being is essential for safe, high-quality patient care. Check out the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience: https://nam.edu/initiatives/clinician-resilience-and-well-being/
Healthcare Professional Burnout, Depression and Suicide Prevention
Placing a priority on mental health enables us to better take care of ourselves and our patients. See the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s list of resources and programs: https://afsp.org/healthcare-professional-burnout-depression-and-suicide-prevention
Resources for Managing Stress
To help cope with the stress, grief, and anxiety that many are feeling, check out the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ COVID-19 resources: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/covid/index.asp
Stress and Heart Health
American Heart Association’s information on stress and heart health: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/stress-and-heart-health
Self-Care and Coping with COVID-19
L.A. Care has a number of resources to help if you are feeling down, stressed or overwhelmed: https://www.lacare.org/members/member-support/health-news-advisories/covid-19/self-care-and-mental-wellness
Fight Coronasomnia
Health care workers have been hit particularly hard by insomnia over the last 12 months. For sleep tips from UC Davis Health, go to https://health.ucdavis.edu/health-news/newsroom/covid-19-is-wrecking-our-sleep-with-coronasomnia–tips-to-fight-back-/2020/09
Manage Stress and Self-Care
Many nurses and health care professionals are experiencing pressure, fear, exhaustion, isolation, and ongoing emotional trauma. The American Psychiatric Nurses Association has helpful tips for managing stress during COVID-19 and a list of warning signs of excessive stress: https://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=6685
Mental Wellness
For many frontline professionals, the pandemic has taken a toll on mental wellness. And if you are struggling, you are not alone. See the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s compilation of information and resources for health care professionals: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Frontline-Professionals/Health-Care-Professionals
Public Narrative: Tell Your Story and Inspire Others
Storytelling is one of the most powerful means that we have to comfort, teach, and inspire one another. Stories, which unite us through values and experiences, also have the power to heal us. Shaping and telling our own stories offer a path beyond trauma, illness, and grief.
Discover your own potential to heal through the Public Narrative—a storytelling practice that helps us make choices, build community, and inspire change. The practice, developed by longtime organizer and Harvard professor Marshall Ganz, is available here: https://marshallganz.com/
Mental Health Resources
Check out the Alliance of Health Care Unions’ handouts with resources, coping strategies, and activities: https://www.ahcunions.org/mental-health-resouces
Suicide Prevention/Resilience
If you or someone you know is in need of help, do not go it alone. Reach out when you need support.
Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) at any time.
More suicide prevention hotlines: http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/california-suicide-hotlines.html
Nurse suicide prevention/resilience: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nurse-suicide-prevention