In a healthcare system that’s always changing, mindfulness can be a beneficial part of your nursing practice. Nurses must learn how to cope with different priorities on a daily basis. But, sometimes, we need to sit down and clear our minds once we feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Defining Mindfulness:

• Though mindfulness is becoming a common practice in healthcare, you still might be wondering what it really is. By definition, mindfulness is the capacity to bring yourself into the present situation. Mindfulness usually includes:
• Pausing for a moment
• Taking deep breaths
• Focusing on the current situation
• Focusing on how the body is feeling
• Noticing the surroundings
• Watching what’s going on

To put it simply, it helps bring you to the present moment by making you use your senses at work and watch for what exactly is holding you and your mind back.

However, mindfulness will not stop you from processing your thoughts. The goal is to help feel calm and relaxed.

What does mindfulness really look like?

A mindful nurse pays attention and is focused in on the moment. They are also conscious about the person behind the patient. When a nurses practices mindfulness, they embrace the current moment and transcend over their line of duty. With mindfulness, small moments will become huge experiences, and small encounters, will become closer connections.

Nurse leaders who are mindful are aware of the workers and organizations behind their daily tasks. These leaders will also make connections with others and be in touch with their values and morals.

Why practice mindfulness?

Throughout their careers, nurses develop beliefs, make decisions, and create their own habits, which can sometimes drive them into auto-pilot. But, sometimes you need to break out of that habit. When you fall into these habits, your mind also travels elsewhere, like future plans and even past memories. Sometimes, this is good, but this can also lead into a more negative mindset. This negative self-talk can impact your attention and bring you out of the present. It’ll restrict you with what you are doing, how you make decisions, and can also aggravate your stress levels. Mindfulness is an attempt to bring you to the present, and break you out of your habitual routine.

Mindfulness will help you identify mental habits that restrict your awareness or limit your choices for action. By intentionally shifting your state of mind to the present, you can reduce the amount of stress you have and become calm.

In addition, it would help improve your communication with others by bringing a greater understanding of how and what others are trying to tell. Obviously, listening and/or speaking with greater attention will lead to more powerful communication, especially in critical situations.

Furthermore, on a personal level, being mindful will help deepen your understanding of your connections with your family, co-workers, friends, patients, and yourself.

What are the physical and benefits of practicing mindfulness?

In addition to improving your nursing practice, being mindful also has physical and mental benefits, including:

Physical Benefits:

• Reduces high blood pressure
• Decreases physical health problems like:
  • Headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Muscle/joint problems
• Improves the immune system
• Increases the energy levels

Mental Benefits:

• Improves mood and behavior
• Reduces anxiety
• Enhances emotional stability
• Increases creativity
• Elevates happiness
• Strengthens intuitive thinking
• Improves clarity of thoughts

Practicing to be mindful:

Today, a number of universities, hospitals, as well as community settings offer a training program called “mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR)”, which includes training in exercises to enhance your mindfulness practice. Core practices in these programs will include:

• Body scan: Learning how to mentally tune in to your body’s feelings
• Gentle yoga: Learning how to move the body with attention
• Breath awareness: Focusing on the patterns of breathing

If you wish to try this out by yourself, you can start by using these methods:

• Paying greater attention to your day-to-day activities
• Feeling your breathing sensations
• Tuning into your body’s sensations
• Using movements like gentle stretches