My Self Care Plan Self-care has many definitions, to me, I think self-care is the act of doing things that help decrease stress and improve the quality of life. Understanding self-care is really important in a lot of career fields but I believe the medical field demands more of the people who work in it. What I mean by this is you will see and do things that will leave you exhausted. If you do not know how to decrease that stress and exhaustion you will be burnt out very quickly. I have seen burn out happen to the most caring health care professional and it is always sad to see. I have been working in health care for about 2 years now and have experienced a lot of stress during my undergraduate years. I learned that if you do not take care of yourself, you could not perform to your highest level. In most professional fields this might not be the biggest deal but in health care you are not just fixing a body, you are taking care of a human. What is Self-Care Since self-care has a couple of definitions from those that look at self care from a strictly health professional stance to what a general idea of self-care is. For the sake of this paper I am only going to look at self-care from a basic understanding. Dictionary.com states that self-care is the care …show more content…
You have to try things that you think will work and see how you feel. Not two people are the same so I think there is no “wrong” way to deal with your self-care. Just make sure you are doing self care is the best thing you can do to take care of your number one priority. For me using these methods of exercise and introverted time I know how to handle big stressors in my life. I already use these methods to make me feel better and maintain my mental health. Not only in school now but also later in my career as a nurse in a hospital or private clinic. You have to make sure you take care of you so you can take care of others who need
Every job has different stress factors and levels. Debbie enlightened me that she has done this job for 36 years and it is very unstressful, she actually enjoys coming to work! The only thing that one may find stressful is working with a patient that doesn’t want to get better or seeing someone not progress.
... Through the demonstration of these values on a daily basis, the nurse is able to not only take better care of his or her patients, but is also able to take care of his or herself. Through self-care, the nurse is able to better understand the phenomena of the client, and is able to provide better client-centered care.
Self-care is an important tool to prioritize, if I am working with Amerika and I start to feel burnout, or get reactions from working with her, then I cannot possibly be useful to a client. I cannot be a tool to effectively collaborate with the client away from this trauma, a few things that are important in self-care are Taking care of physical health, we need to be healthy for our clients, and to be able to have the energy to give, eat right and going to the gym or any exercise that make you feel
I would like to explore the concept of self-care to get a better understanding of the concept to enhance self-care promotion in ambulatory surgery patients when they are discharged to home. Self-care is a concept that has many different meanings to different individuals in different situations of care. By analyzing this concept and how it’s used it will better prepare me to enable patients to be more independent in their care at home. Nursing care directed toward returning control of the situation to the patient allows the process of self-care and healing to begin. Orem’s self-care model can promote successful practice wh...
For instance, a client came to hospital with complaints of pain over all the joint and stiffness which mostly in the morning and reduces by physical activities. Client was able to do activities of daily living (ADL) by herself but the way she performed and posture she used was making her prone to develop complication of diseases. By applying the Orem’s theory of self care deficit, nurses can support the client by providing passive exercises as well as to improve her joint mobility. Besides that, nurses also teach the family members the limitation in activity level the client has and cooperation required. Next, nurses may also initiate pain relieving measures such as medication and physical therapy always before client go for any activities of daily living. Last but not least, nurses may promoting developmental environment by teach the family members and help them to practice how to help client related to her
According to the Healthy People Database, in 2010 the aging population was estimated at 40 million, this number is expected rise to nearly 70 million by the year 2030 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2000). At the forefront of health concerns for this aging population will be the intervention, management and treatment of chronic diseases. This increase in both this specific population as well as the required medical care will place a significant amount of stress on an already distressed healthcare system, which in turn will affect the availability of recourses and costs. Including patients in their self care with strategic health promotion such as encouragement and education geared towards specific socioeconomic groups will be more cost effective and beneficial in the management of chronic disease. Studies indicate that patients involved in self management of disease processes often have better patient outcomes.
In addition a positive self-awareness gives a sense of continuity, wholeness and consistency to a person. In relation to nursing, self-awareness helps nurses to learn about their strength and weaknesses. “It helps nurses to deliver better client care thus; client gets well soon and builds a trusting relation between the client and the nurse. Self-awareness helps nurses to identify several problems that might be a cause I providing better care”(Nancy Burns, 2005).
In today’s health care environment, work-related stress plays a major role in the performance of nursing professionals. The nursing profession is significantly affected by the effects of stress and this often determines the quality of care that patients receive. Work-related stress develops when an individual loses the ability to cope with increasing service demands, overwhelming responsibilities, and loss of control over their environment. Preceding research has proven that high stress levels result in more staff absences, staff turnover, diminished job satisfaction, and additional costs which in return only further exacerbates staff stress levels (Wright, 2014). Nursing managers can help to control how stress affects the staff and provide ways for the staff to cope effectively. Although nurses are responsible for maintaining their health, managers can significantly reduce stress by ensuring that the employees are well educated, internal support resources are available, and external employee assistance programs are provided. The quality of leadership and management support provided to the staff can significantly alleviate stress in the health care field (Wright, 2014). By decreasing the workload, reducing service demands, and implementing effective coping strategies, stress among nurses can be decreased and the quality of patient care will improve considerably.
The purpose of this paper is to review the theory of self-regulation and how it can be applied to practice in health care settings to improve patient outcomes. According to Johnson (1997), more than 25 years of research has influenced the development of the self-regulation theory, which is about coping with healthcare experiences. Health problems have shifted from acute to chronic where it has been identified that personal behaviors are linked to over half of societies chronic health problems (Ryan & Sawin, 2009). As the modern nurse strives to provide specialized care and improve patient outcomes, the utilization of nursing theory continues to gain importance. This theory explains how patients use specific types of information to cope with health care events thus providing a rational for selecting information that can be expected to benefit patients. The concept of self-regulation has been a part of nursing practice in a circumlocutory fashion for years. It has been most commonly referred to as self-management creating considerable ambiguity and overlapping of definitions for that term and self-regulation (SR). For the purpose of this paper these terms will imply that people follow self-set goals introduced by their health care provider.
Self-care has a very different meaning for people. It varies from person to person and can be based on age, gender, religion, occupation, and their type of lifestyle that they live. For myself, my self-care has changed since starting nursing school and I now know have to look at it in terms of nursing. Although my self-care has not changed substantially I now have to realize that being a nurse, I will have more responsibility’s and will be taking care of others and I cannot take care of others until I take care of myself. Self-care is very important for many reasons; in my opinion a healthy person in mind, body and soul is a happy person. You cannot take care of others if you yourself are not healthy and happy.
One of the theories of nursing is Dorothea Orem’s self-care theory, also called the self-care deficit theory. Nursing theories are important for several reasons. The profession is strengthened when knowledge is built on sound theory (Black, 2014). Theory is important for reasoning, thinking, decision-making, and supporting excellence in practice (Black, 2014). Dorothea Orem’s theory is a conceptual model that provides a structure for critical thinking in the nursing process (Black, 2014). A conceptual model provides a comprehensive and holistic perspective of nursing (Black, 2014). Orem published her theory in 1959 and continued to develop her model, eventually formalizing three interrelated theories: theory of self-care, theory of self-care deficit, and theory of nursing system (Black, 2014). The focus of Orem’s model is the patient’s self-care capacity. The process helps to design a nursing process specific to each patient that will provide for the self-care deficit of the patient (Black, 2014). Self-care deficits exist when the patient has limitations and the self-care requirement is greater than he patient’s capacity (Manzini & Simonetti, 2009).
I strongly believe that the class, HD341 Communication for Empowerment fulfill my goals in taking this class because it is giving me many opportunities to make connection with other classmates. I usually check in by sharing my stories at school, at work, and any issues that I am still concerned. Therefore, verbal communication is an area I frequently use in class to communicate with my peers as well as my professor. I also have active listening my classmate’s stories and have critical thinking to giving feedbacks to them.
I also believe it to be highly rewarding. For the last 4 years I have practiced self-care. I cannot help others if I don’t care for myself mentally and physically. Yearly physicals, proper diet, exercise and time to myself daily are a must. Since I started school two years ago, I’ve had my fair share of stress. My first semester in school I struggled with minor health issues, and my mother was diagnosed with early dementia. I had to deal with a lot to finally get her in a place where she was happy and thriving. Through this, I have managed to hold an average GPA of 3.6, and I made Dean’s List twice. Daily meditation is also something I do daily. Regular walks and hikes with my dog and enjoying the beautiful area in which I live is another tool I utilize. I love to get out and enjoy the stillness of the woods just to re-group. If I’ve had a very stressful day I will go for a jog and then soak in the tub with candles and lavender oil. I strongly believe all of these tools have kept me strong and able to perform well. Should I find myself completely overwhelmed and in need of extra support, I have access to therapists, and I would like to believe that I will have a good relationship with my superiors so that I could discuss any professional concerns I
Self-care often goes over looked. However, it could be one of the most important things a healthcare professional can do for themselves and the patients. Working in healthcare often consists of long hours and lots of brain power. Your mind is always on and you are always on high alert. That can be taxing on our minds, bodies, and souls. This is where self-care comes into play. Decompression can look like many things. I some play golf. Others take bi-monthly trips to the massage parlor. Some people seek solace in prayer and meditation. It is important to understand that self-care is not limited to people who hold huge responsibilities. These are techniques everyone should utilize as much as possible.
Self-care is a necessary practice in everyone’s life. This practice allows people to relax and replenished themselves. The first time I heard of this term was in during one of my social work classes. As we began to discuss self-care it became clear, that without proper self-care people, not just social workers are doing themselves a disservice. Self-care encompasses more than general rest. Self-care deals with emotional wellbeing, good health and spiritual wellbeing. All of these areas are key to having good self-care. The reading provides a good description self-care, it stated that self-care is achieving an equilibrium across our personal school and work lives. Achieving equilibrium in my personal life will only increase my ability to support and help others.