Whether you are a crisis response nurse, strike nurse or COVID-19 nurse, stress is a constant part of your life. One way you can help combat the negativity that comes with stress is to keep a gratitude journal. Keeping a gratitude journal has been shown to not only reduce stress, but also help you sleep better and improve interpersonal relationships.
Gratitude journals allow you to capture and remember the big and the little things. You can capture anything from being thankful you had change for the vending machine to not getting sick on your most recent assignment to the family that keeps you bolstered up, even when you’re away from home.
As we start off the new year, think about what you are thankful for and journal it. You can use a notebook, the notes app on your phone or one of the numerous apps in the app store to capture your thoughts. Then when you are feeling down, you can look back at the long list of what you have to be thankful for and let it help pick you back up.
