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Self Care Exercises

The fast-paced, stressful, and high consequence environment in healthcare takes a toll on our healthcare providers. The Center for Patient Safety offers this unique video series for healthcare providers throughout the industry. We encourage all healthcare clinicians and staff to take care of themselves so they can continue to be present for others: family, friends, and patients.

Mary Shackelford is the facilitator/instructor for the Self Improvement Exercises. She is a nurse and actively involved in patient safety. Her experience provides a keen perspective connecting self-care and safe patient care.

Check out additional resources from these Self Care Blogs from CPS and view a webinar from Mary on Discovering the secrets to reducing stress while caring for others.

Watch or share the following videos with others. Each session is designed to be short with applicability daily, weekly or just as needed. The benefits are ongoing. We hope you find relaxation, renewed energy and a time to provide self care.

Tips Before Starting

Each session is designed to be short with applicability daily, weekly or just as needed.

  • No experience required.
  • Each session includes options based on health and fitness level.
  • Find a quiet and comfortable place to watch or listen.
  • Nothing is required other than you (see note below for options during Yoga session). 
  • Invite others to join you (coworkers, family, friends).
  • Allow for enough time to complete the entire session.
  • Consider completing one video session each day for 5 days. Return to sessions that you feel help you the most. 

Note: The yoga session demonstrates several poses using a chair. Poses can be done during a break or even during your shift as a reset or refresher. Several poses can also be done while seated in an ambulance or other vehicle (as a passenger!).

Consider creating a Renewal Room as a place to go when stressed, post-adverse event, or even during a scheduled break. It should include comfortable seating with soft lighting and relaxing music. Many Renewal Rooms also include aromatherapy, such as lavender, hot tea and other calming amenities. These should be guilt-free zones and a place you can go without judgment. Consider implementing a Renewal Room, or Renewal Space, at your organization.

Guided Meditation (13 min)

Guided meditation/imagery is an effective way to bring focus to the mind, calmness to the body. It is helpful especially for beginners and for those who have difficulty sitting still in a silent meditation. Guided meditation provides the mind something to focus on but without effort on the part of the recipient. During this meditation you are invited to sit comfortably, close your eyes and follow along with the guidance. Give yourself permission during the meditation to just be and allow the guidance to lead your mind. If you notice your mind wandering or “thinking” just gently bring it back to your breath and to the recording. You may have to do this over and over. It is very common!

If there is any part of the guidance that does not resonate with you, feel free to adjust the imagery in your mind to be more suited.

Meditation should be experienced in an environment where you will not be disturbed, can be in a comfortable seat and of course not operating equipment or machinery. It is recommended that you do not lie down, as you may fall asleep which is not really the goal of meditation.

If you find it challenging to be still for the duration of the meditation, you are encouraged to just allow the feelings of impatience, feeling fidgety or irritation and keep letting the mind come back to the guidance. Be gentle with yourself. If it is a struggle for you, keep coming back to it. The more you teach the mind to focus and allow the body to relax; you will feel the benefits and be able to be in the meditation longer. Over time, it will become easier and in fact enjoyable, to be in the stillness.

Breathing Exercises (15 min)

Breath is life! It is our life force energy. Eastern cultures describe it as Prana or Chi. Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. Taking you out of the Stress or fight or flight response.

One way we can consciously decrease the stress response is through our breath.

By slowing, deepening and bringing our breath into our belly and core, we are able to begin to shut down the stress response. When your breath calms, the brain realizes you are safe and then sends this message to your body. The stress hormones begin to decrease and the body moves into para sympathetic response or rest and digest.

This video teaches several breath techniques for stress reduction and relaxation. You are encouraged to practice each one and find the one(s) you like best. To get the full benefit of breathe work, it is suggested that you make a regular practice each day of doing a few minutes of one or more techniques. Over time you will find it easy to do a few rounds of breathe work throughout your day.

Post-Event Meditation (11 min)

This meditation is a facilitated silent meditation. Mary will begin with options for your focus during the meditation, instruct you on getting set up and settled and then allow space for sitting in silence.

Meditation teaches the mind to focus on a single point, a word/mantra, object or your breath. Teaching the mind to focus and stop the constant “monkey mind” activity regularly allows the body to settle into a relaxed state. This regular practice decreases the stress response and facilitates more calm and focus in daily life.

If silent meditation feels like a challenge, perhaps start with our guided meditation until you gain more comfort with being still.

Meditation should be experienced in an environment where you will not be disturbed, can be in a comfortable seat and of course not operating equipment or machinery. It is recommended that you do not lie down, as you may fall asleep which is not really the goal of meditation.

If you find it challenging to be still for the duration of the meditation, you are encouraged to just allow the feelings of impatience, feeling fidgety or irritation and keep letting the mind come back to the guidance. Be gentle with yourself. If it is a struggle for you, keep coming back to it. The more you teach the mind to focus and allow the body to relax; you will feel the benefits and be able to be in the meditation longer. Over time, it will become easier and in fact enjoyable, to be in the stillness.

Stress Relief (24 min)

Manage stress from the inside out. This video teaches principles and practices to support you in reducing stress, anxiousness and overwhelm by cultivating more calm, presence and peace from within yourself. Typically we find ourselves responding and reacting primarily based on what is happening around us. We become so externally oriented and we believe what is outside of us is more important or has more power over how we experience life than our own Self. During this video we will explore ways to shift perceptions, begin connecting with our own deep wisdom and be less influenced by ever changing outside circumstances. As we become attuned to our inner guidance, we realize we are empowered to create a more peaceful and happy work and home life.

Yoga - Stress Relief (29 min)

Yoga is an ancient practice and is translated to “union” or “yoking”. The emphasis of this union is related to body, breath and mind. During yoga asana (postures/poses) practice the intension is to move the body with the breath and bring the mind onto the body and breath. Focusing the mind on the body and breath has a calming affect and facilitates relaxation.

This video demonstrates several poses using a chair. These poses can be done during a break or even during your shift as a reset or refresher. Several poses can also be done while seated in an ambulance or vehicle (as a passenger!). The poses can be done together as a practice or taken individually when you are looking for a way to distress and relieve tension.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Mary Shackelford,, RN, BSN, HN-BC, serves as a Consultant for the Center for Patient Safety. Mary brings over thirty years experience as a registered nurse where she has focused on performance improvement and patient safety as well as self-care, resiliency and burnout.  

Mary has served in a variety of leadership roles including as a Director at Missouri’s Quality Improvement Organization for many years. Mary has provided expertise in the areas of patient safety culture and patient and family engagement.  She also owns and operates her holistic wellness coaching and consulting business where she provides services to organizations and individuals.

Mary is passionate about a whole person approach to well being for staff and patients. She endeavors to empower individuals, using a whole person approach, to strengthen and nourish the mind-body-spirit connection for happiness, well-being and success.

Mary received her ADN and BSN from Lincoln University. She is a board certified Holistic Registered Nurse and a certified holistic health coach, and yoga teacher. She has experience as a Missouri Quality Award examiner and is a graduate of IHI’s Breakthrough Collaborative College.

MaryShackelford

Mary Shackelford

Stay Connected.

Get the latest information from the Center for Patient Safety.

“Although it is difficult to determine causal relationships, burnout has been associated with increased patient safety incidents, including medical errors, reduced patient satisfaction, and poorer safety and quality ratings.”

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Burnout is defined as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

World Health Organization

One aspect of patient safety culture that rarely gets attention is creating a culture of self-care for staff in healthcare, especially front-line staff that are in constant caring mode with patients and family, often facing “crisis” after “crisis”.

Mary Shackelford