[The New Era of Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Therapy in Developing Nurses' Self-Care].

Abstract

The high-pressure nature of clinical nursing work and workplace environments influence how nurses perceive fatigue and their physical and mental health. Therefore, promoting self-care-related skills and capabilities has become an important issue in nursing education. The concept of nurse self-care, the content of mindful self-compassion therapy, and how to apply this therapy in nurse self-care are introduced in this article. Based on the findings of prior empirical research, the concept of self-care in the context of nurses consists of three key abilities: mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience. These abilities emphasize promoting the ability of nurses to be aware of their body-mind-spirit distress in the present and to respond to suffering with kindness and empathy. Furthermore, resilience may be developed even while facing adversities in life. Mindful self-compassion therapy has been increasingly applied in recent years to improve body-mind well-being in healthcare professionals. This therapy includes the concepts of mindfulness and self-compassion, self-compassion actions, how self-compassion can be applied to facing emotional difficulties, and practicing gratitude and savoring life for a life happiness. Empirical research results consistently confirm that mindful self-compassion therapy can effectively reduce both occupational and compassion fatigue. Therefore, mindfulness self-compassion skills incorporated into nurses' daily lives and work have been subsequently developed based on the concepts underlying mindful self-compassion therapy. These skills help nurses be more consciously aware of the personal impact of work stress, take ameliorative actions such as breathing exercises or body scanning to trigger a physical relaxation response, and use self-compassionate language to self-support.