Self-care helps achieve top-performance
By Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC
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When Cleveland Clinic’s 450 nurse leaders convened for the health system’s 8th annual Nursing Leadership Summit last August, they walked away with an important message from one event keynote speaker – health and wellness are pivotal to success and happiness, in and out of the workplace.
For better or worse, nurses are givers, not takers. And, like many, nurses are often pulled in several directions at work and at home. With the 24/7 nature of a nurse’s life, it’s understandable that personal health and wellness can fall behind other demands.
However, according to 2016 Nursing Leadership Summit guest speaker Jennifer Lea from Johnson & Johnson’s Human Performance Institute, for ultimate success in all facets of life – family, work, relationships, and more – nurses should make health and wellness a top priority.
At Cleveland Clinic’s Summit, Lea explained that focusing on personal health and wellness helps maintain positive energy. She stressed that energy is a person’s most critical resource, it is four-dimensional (emotional, physical, mental and spiritual) and it helps one ignite his or her full potential.
While Lea’s training session for Cleveland Clinic’s nurse leaders was designed to educate attendees on how to properly manage the demands of their energy, she noted that successfully doing so helps nurses stay healthy, succeed at work, enjoy relationships with friends and family and engage in pursuits outside of work. Lea’s message inspired the health system’s nurse leaders to consider the possibilities for expanding Cleveland Clinic’s nursing excellence if nursing caregivers are working to their fullest potential and nursing leaders are leading to their fullest potential.
As we enter a New Year, nurses everywhere want to put their best foot forward. But, to be the best, one has to be at their best. The following includes tips nurses can use to help achieve their full potential by making personal health and wellness a priority in 2017.
Below is a selection of the many tips Lea presented to Cleveland Clinic.
Become more physically energized.
Become more emotionally connected.
Become more mentally focused.
Become more aligned with what is most important.
In addition, the following is a brief overview of the “Six Cornerstones of Wellness,” which was devised by a Cleveland Clinic nurse who worked in Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute.
These wellness cornerstones are designed to help develop healthy habits and commitment to work/life balance to make wellness part of daily life.
Remember, when health and wellness are a priority, nursing professionals have greater opportunity to function at their fullest potential, live happier lives and succeed in more areas of life. So, start the New Year off with health and wellness at the forefront of your plans and aim for a successful and happy 2017!
Kelly Hancock is the Executive Chief Nursing Officer of the Cleveland Clinic Health System, and Chief Nursing Officer of Cleveland Clinic Main Campus.
Follow Kelly on Twitter at @kkellyhancock.
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