I developed this self-care plan to include everything I love doing and surrounding myself with the people I love most. This plan involves four categories: distractions, inspiration, relaxation and coping methods to aid my mental and physical well-being. To begin with, my steps of encouraging self-care while struggling with anxiety and stress are distractions. One of the best ways to navigate internal stress is to outsource it and focus attention on something completely different. One of the distractions I provided in the plan was getting outside; this means going on a walk, doing some form of activity and getting out of the house. Distractions are one of the methods of reducing uncontrollable stress, as they allow for a shift in focus or calm overthinking.

The next component is what inspires me to continue and find the motivation to push through anxiety and being overwhelmed with school or work factors. My parents and the goals I have set for myself allow me to push through every day, regardless of where my motivation lies. One of my biggest inspirations is my future career as a nurse and working hard every day to do well and succeed. A large part of my ability to take care of my patients will begin with my ability to care for my own emotional, mental and physical needs.

  Relaxation was the third aspect of my self-care plan; similarly to distractions, it is good to find peace within my ongoing anxiety or thoughts. A significant part of my ability to relax is with yoga and listening to podcasts, where I can spend time with myself and my thoughts. We can also implement strategies from the radical acceptance principles in the relaxation component, such as writing and evaluating my emotions surrounding a stressful event.

The final part of the plan is developing coping strategies to manage stress and anxiety. Two of the best ways to cope are confiding in my boyfriend, the primary support I live with, and prioritizing my self-care/hygiene routines. Prioritizing myself in times when my anxiety or mental health is depleting encourages me to utilize other strategies and outsource my problems. Our bodies act as a system that all depend on each other to function correctly, so I included taking care of my physical well-being when developing my self-care plan.

Integrating this self-care plan into my daily routine will not be a challenge, as I do most of these daily practices to maintain my well-being. One of the things I discussed in my plan was incorporating some of the methods of radical acceptance to help cope with uncontrollable thoughts and anxiety. Encouraging reflection on my day and events that may have caused any problems will help ensure I do not hold onto uncontrollable feelings and thoughts. I would also like to incorporate more gratitude and find more inspiration to maintain a dedication to supporting my future and current well-being.

Self-care focused on overall well-being will positively affect my mental, physical and emotional state, reflecting positively in my personal and professional life. In my personal life, ensuring I take care of myself will allow other relationships to flourish and how I cope with stressful events. When one component of my overall well-being is lacking, I have difficulty maintaining the others- and isolation from others tends to occur. Incorporating this self-care plan into my routine will help alleviate anxiety at an incapacitating level that disrupts my routine, helping to improve my mental health during times of high stress. Professionally, especially in nursing, our patients depend on us to be fully attentive to them without cloudy judgment. Stress and anxiety may take up a large portion of our mental capacity, so by improving our own well-being, we can ensure we are ready to provide the best care possible to our patients. I must also utilize some of these methods to overcome challenges I may experience in the workplace regarding issues out of my control to separate work from home, to manage my mental health. In conclusion, incorporating this plan into my daily practice will not only improve my emotional well-being but will also allow me to be a better student nurse.