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Mastering self-compassion: the key to better mental health?

Profession
Nicola Davies details how nurses can maintain their mental health in the face of challenging circumstances

A recent systematic review revealed that 31% of nurses experience emotional exhaustion, 24% are highly depersonalized, and 38% feel low levels of personal accomplishment – all three of which are components of burnout.1 With the impact of burnout having dire consequences on your personal well-being and the care provided to patients,2 it’s time to take a serious look at how to improve your mental health.

The ingredients of improving mental health

For anyone in the caring profession, there are two key psychological ingredients that can help you better manage workplace stressors and nurture your mental well-being – self-compassion and detachment.

Self-compassion is the ‘ability to respond to the self in times of failure or distress with kindness and understanding.’2 It has been found to lead to lower rates of burnout and increased effectiveness with stress management.2

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