Self Care Activity
Nursing is a profession that is entirely based on caring. A nurse spends a significant amount of his or her time offering care and support to the patient. Self-care is an essential activity in nursing as it will help one achieve physical, emotional, and psychological comfort. As nursing sometimes requires one to work for long hours, there arises a need for a break for self-care and rejuvenation. From the list of the things I enjoy doing and those that rejuvenate me, the activity chosen is hiking. Hiking is one of the activities that I love doing, and it also makes me feel rejuvenated. This write-up will discuss hiking as an activity for self-care and its benefit to me and my human interaction.
Hiking was chosen as a self-caring activity as it has both physical and psychological benefits. Apart from being my favorite hiking activity, hiking has significant health advantages. Hiking involves walking outdoors on natural terrains such as valleys, mountains, rocks, bushes, forests, and many other adventurous places (Nordbø & Prebensen, 2015). One health benefit of hiking is that the exercise helps to burn body calories. Hiking exercises help reduce body fat by Ten to twenty percent. Hiking activity also helps in lowering blood sugar levels as the muscle workouts transform glucose into energy. By lowering blood sugar, the chances of diabetes are reduced (Jenkins & Jenks, 2017). Hiking was also chosen; the activity of interacting with nature creates a sense of fun, hence reducing anxiety and stress (Robinson, 2017). It also helps in developing a unique acceptance of life, which is essential as it would contribute to personal nursing philosophy.
Self-care will help improve productivity. Having a mind refreshing and body exercising activities as a method of healthcare reduces body tension and wearing out. When the body is in good condition, the workload will be high, hence improving productivity (Hurst, 2018). Another benefit of self-care is the enhancement of self-esteem. Also, hiking is a mind-rejuvenating activity, like hiking helps free stress, poor moods, and negative self-talk. This, in turn, improves self-acceptance and self-esteem. Self-care also helps improve the body’s ability to resist diseases. Activities like hiking help in body rejuvenation and activation of the nervous system, burn off body calories and glucose and help strengthen the immune system.
Self-care is significant to my family in various ways. First, self-care facilitates family cohesion as self-care activities like hiking help reduce stress and psychological distress (Robinson, 2017). This can help improve family cohesion and understanding. Self-care activities such as hiking can also help a family spend time together or hike together, improving cohesion (Hurst, 2018). Another way self-care is significant to the family is that it reduces family expenses on healthcare. As self-care helps in strengthening body immunity, the chances of contracting diseases will be minimal.
Self-care will be of benefit to patients under me in that, having rejuvenated physically and psychologically, productivity and service will be improved. Secondly, self-care gives the nurses insights into caring for others. Another benefit of self-care to patients is that it ensures the availability of nurses to provide care for them. This is because self-care will reduce depression and pain in the nurse, making them available to offer services.
Self-care can be incorporated into weekly activities by creating a time plan, including essential work activities and personal free time. The free time can be used for self-care activities such as hiking or hobbies. Weekly self-care activities can be sustained by strictly following the set time plan and having compensation if the routine is skipped. Taking work shifts can also help create time for self-care activities if one has a tight schedule during the week.
In conclusion, self-care activities are essential for personal well-being. As seen above, hiking as a self-care activity helps in physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. Hiking has significant health benefits, as discussed. As seen above, self-care has vast benefits to a person, their family, and the patients they attend. The enormous significance of self-care makes it an essential inclusion in personal activities using the strategies discussed above.
References
Nordbø, I. & Prebensen, N. K. (2015). “Hiking as a mental and physical experience.” Advances in hospitality and leisure. Emerald Group Publishing Limited,. 169-186.
Robinson, M. (2017). “Hiking Benefits Heart, Mind, And Body.” WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/hiking-body-mind.
Hurst, K. (2018). What Is Self-Care And Why Is Self-Care Important? Retrieved from http://www.thelawofattraction.com/self-care-tips/
Jenkins, D. W., & Jenks, A. (2017). Hiking with Diabetes: Risks and Benefits. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, 107(5), 382-392.
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Question 
Setting boundaries and making self-care a priority is extremely important when practicing as a nurse. Discuss methods of self-care that you have found to be effective when dealing with an emotional reaction to a situation.
Self Care Activity
Once you have selected a topic, post a discussion about why that self-care technique is beneficial, how it helps you, how it can benefit your nursing practice, and why self-care is so important when caring for individuals with mental illness.
250 words or less simple discussion