We talk a lot today about nurse resilience , and many schools of nursing have wisely committed to helping foster resilience in their students . We each have the capacity to build our own resilience ; with intention and practice , we can strengthen and fine tune our ability to survive , grow , and even thrive in the face of adversity . In 2001 , researcher Ann Masten called our innate resilience “ ordinary magic .” We have studied and taught wellbeing in healthcare for over a decade and have discovered common threads among the practices that truly work . If harnessed , these practices are nursing superpowers .
We hope this article becomes one of your roadmaps to well-being . These practices do not require any extra time , money , or fancy sneakers . They are practices grounded in research , especially in the science of brain neuroplasticity . We invite you to begin today .
Neuroplasticity and Resilience What is your “ default ” response to daily stressors ? When you ’ re cut off in traffic , a patient is rude , or a partner annoys you , how do you react ? Many of us respond with irritation , dismay , or worse .
Instead of allowing our default responses to prevail , we can practice responding to daily stressors more mindfully and learn new ways to engage with others . The daily practices described here will help you form and strengthen new neural pathways in your brain that will ultimately make you more resilient .
This is possible because our brains can change . We can grow new neural pathways and prune existing pathways that do not serve us . We all have this capacity , no matter how old or set in our ways we are . This superpower can be harnessed to make us more resilient . And the bonus ? When we engage in these simple practices , they will also foster more joy and well-being along the journey .
Power to Pay Attention Check in with yourself right now . Notice feelings in your body , such as aches , throbbing , or tingles . Do you feel tension anywhere ? If you feel tightness in your shoulders , for example , relax them . Notice how much better that feels .
Be curious about your emotional state . Do you feel anxious , stressed , or bored ? If you feel a negative emotion such as anger or impatience , gently ask , “ What ’ s up with that ?” Then , explore how it feels and what the source may be .
34 NSNA IMPRINT • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022 • www . nsna . org
Get in the habit of checking in with yourself as frequently as possible throughout the day and then responding appropriately . Loosen a clenched jaw . Quench thirst with a drink of water . Acknowledge feelings of frustration and let them go . Savor feelings of joy or awe .
Notice new things — for example , the changing leaves on the trees , a piece of art in the hospital hallway , the aroma of the cafeteria ’ s daily special . Take a moment and focus your attention on one item . Experience it with your senses , not your mind .
Paying attention pulls you into the moment . The power to pay attention is the foundation of wellbeing .
Power to Be Present Killingsworth and Gilbert ( 2010 ) conducted a clever study . They gave smart phones to 2,250 adults and pinged them randomly throughout the day . They asked their subjects three questions : What are you doing ? How happy are you ? Is your mind wandering ? They discovered that the most significant contributor to happiness was paying attention . In other words , someone who was washing dinner dishes and paying attention could be happier than someone in a five-star restaurant who was looking at a phone during the meal . They concluded that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind .
When you check in with yourself , ask , “ Am I paying attention ? Am I focused on this moment or worrying about the future ? Am I upset about something that happened in the past ?” If your mind has wandered away from the here and now , gently invite yourself back to this moment .
Practice paying attention as you move through the mundane tasks in your day , such as waiting for the elevator , walking the aisles of the grocery store , and straightening a patient ’ s room . Remember , you are fine tuning your resilience skills . It will become more natural over time .
Power to Reframe The precise term for reframing is “ cognitive reappraisal ,” but we call it “ the flip ,” that is , changing one ’ s perspective on negative thoughts in order to improve one ’ s emotional state It ’ s our capacity to intentionally explore new ways of seeing , allowing us to experience the best of what is ( Thatchenkery & Metzker , 2006 ). The practice of reframing opens possibilities that may have been