scholarly journals Illuminating five possible dimensions of self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-175
Author(s):  
Narelle Lemon
Keyword(s):  
Self Care ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Close Friend ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Poetic Representation ◽  
Heart And Mind ◽  
Improve Health ◽  
Taking Care

Introduction: Self-care is about taking care of yourself. It is a proactive action involving steps to develop, protect, maintain and improve health, wellbeing or wellness.  Self-care can be seen as a repertoire of practices – different things you do that help you care for you, no matter how small. It is an act of treating yourself like you would a close friend. The importance of valuing self-care has not changed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, in fact more awareness and appreciation for what one can do to empower yourself may indeed be valued more.   Methods: In this paper, I draw on data from 53 participants aged over 18 years who responded to an online qualitative questionnaire between the months of May to June in 2020. Poetry derived from all the participants has been generated to both represent their voice and to provide a provocation that ignites our heart and mind to consider what is good in life.   Results: To further conceptualise self-care, five possible dimensions of self-care (mindfulness, self-compassion, habits, time and agency) are suggested and the aspects within these dimensions are described juxtaposed with poetic representation that illuminates practices and mindsets engaged with during a pandemic.     Conclusions: When thinking about self-care across five possible dimensions, this framework becomes useful for capturing a holistic and authentic view of both proactive actions and the variety of practices that can be engaged with. Empowerment is possible in partnership with self-compassion and awareness, where a self-kindness supports proactive decisions to be made on a daily basis that support wellbeing. Central is that no matter one’s situation, difficulty and suffering during a pandemic, gratitude and awareness for oneself is possible. 

Self-care of Caregivers: Self-Compassion in a Population of Dutch Medical Students and Residents

MedEdPublish ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Godthelp ◽  
Maaike Muntinga ◽  
Theo Niessen ◽  
Piet Leguit ◽  
Tineke Abma
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Self Compassion

scholarly journals Self-Care Through Self-Compassion: A Balm for Burnout

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah C. Coaston
Keyword(s):  
Self Care ◽  
Self Compassion

Translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the mindful self-care scale among Brazilian palliative care providers

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia ◽  
Laura Soares Rodrigues Silva ◽  
Ana Cristina Gonçalves Ferreira ◽  
Vander Monteiro da Conceição ◽  
Everson Meireles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reliability Indices ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Hospice And Palliative Care

Abstract Objective This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Mindful Self-Care Scale (MSCS, 33-item) in a Brazilian hospice and palliative care context. Method This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 336 Brazilian hospice and palliative care providers. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer — Quality of Life Group Translation Procedure protocol was used for the translation and the cultural adaptation process. Psychometric properties supporting the use of the MSCS were examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and correlation analysis with other instruments to assess congruence to related constructs (resilience and self-compassion). The reliability of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the MSCS was assessed using Cronbach's α and composite reliability coefficients. Results The six-factor (33-item) model showed a good fit to the data, with satisfactory reliability indices and adequate representation of the scale's internal structure. Further validity is evidenced in the significant, positive correlations found between the MSCS, and similar well-being constructs, namely the Self-Compassion and Resilience scales. Significance of results The findings reveal that the MSCS (33-item) is a valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate instrument to examine the practice of mindful self-care by hospice and palliative care providers in Brazil. More broadly, it represents a promising instrument for future research into self-care practices and well-being among Brazilian healthcare providers.

Three Challenges of Early-Career Faculty and the Importance of Self-Care

2021 ◽  
pp. 227-250
Author(s):  
Aaron Samuel Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Faculty Member ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Learning To Teach ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Faculty ◽  
Taking Care

This chapter presents three challenges associated with being an early-career faculty member: learning to teach in the context of higher education, learning to advise in the context of higher education, and learning to cope with organizational change. After describing the nature of these challenges in detail, the framework of self-care is introduced. Seven strategies are presented: insisting that your students take responsibility for their actions, learning to say no, learning to identify burnout in your colleagues, establishing a network of family and friends, scheduling breaks throughout the day and doing things you enjoy, taking care of yourself physically, and not trying to be perfect. The aim of this chapter is for readers to understand more comprehensively (some of) the challenges associated with becoming an early-career faculty member and to acquire some strategies that can help one to cope with these challenges before, during, and after experiencing these challenges.

Time to beware

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy D. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Self Care ◽  
Physical Injury ◽  
One Step ◽  
Self Knowledge ◽  
Taking Care

When we are vulnerable, it’s time to be extra cautious. Physically or emotionally, there are times when we know we are not at our best. We may be in pain, fatigued, fearful, or just out of sorts. It is a “beware time.” Imagine yourself at your best, descending a set of stairs. You hop from step to step. You move quickly and confidently. You don’t even look at the steps. You don’t hold on to the banister. You are extremely confident and efficient. Now imagine yourself injured or in pain as you descend a set of stairs. You are cautious. You cling unsteadily to the banister for support. You move slowly, placing both feet on one step before you move to the next. You are tense as you hold tightly to the person you have asked to assist you. You don’t take your eyes off the danger, looking at nothing but the steps you need to tra­verse. You use all your diminished strength to keep from falling. Your heart is racing. We all have occasions to experience confident freedom and cautious fear. Like navigating the stairs when we are impaired, we need to know when we are especially vulnerable. Vulnerability can cloud our awareness and distract our atten­tion. We can be prone to losing our patience, our temper, our composure. We follow a protocol for protecting a physical injury; protecting our spirit can be just as important. Our vulnerabilities wax and wane. Being aware helps us move into caution mode for a time, taking care to protect ourselves until it passes. Acknowledging your own “beware time” can be like wrapping yourself in a layer of protective padding or using a periscope to check out any risks hiding in the periphery. Your “beware time” may pass quickly or may amount to nothing. But naming it and being extra gentle with yourself can be a nice oasis of self- care and self- knowledge.

scholarly journals Self‐compassion moderates the perceived stress and self‐care behaviors link in women with breast cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 927-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Abdollahi ◽  
Azadeh Taheri ◽  
Kelly A. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Self Compassion

The tinkering m-patient: Co-constructing knowledge on how to live with type 1 diabetes through Facebook searching and sharing and offline tinkering with self-care

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasja Kingod
Keyword(s):  
Type 1 Diabetes ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Online Searching ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Constructing Knowledge

Danish adults with type 1 diabetes value peer-to-peer interaction through the social media platform Facebook as a way to quickly exchange knowledge on essential everyday self-care for chronic illness. In this praxiographic study, following informants into online and offline social dimensions, I explore how they use Facebook to exchange self-care knowledge based on practical experiments and negotiations between bodies, technologies and daily lives. When in doubt about how to self-care on a daily basis, Danish adults with type 1 diabetes look to Facebook for inspiration and peer support. A synergistic process of online searching and sharing and offline tinkering with self-care generates person-centred knowledge about how to live with illness that is situated to individual needs and unique daily lives. Facebook can be viewed as an emergent space for biosociality through which knowledge about how to self-care become co-constructed by peers based on their pragmatic experiences of self-care on a daily and ongoing basis.

scholarly journals Predicting Professional Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction in Spanish Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4366
Author(s):  
Noemí Sansó ◽  
Laura Galiana ◽  
Amparo Oliver ◽  
Macià Tomás-Salvá ◽  
Gabriel Vidal-Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Practice Environment ◽  
Professional Quality Of Life ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Professional Quality

Background: Dealing with suffering, grief, and death on a daily basis, together with the particular working conditions, may produce high levels of burnout in nurses, and hinder their well-being. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of self-care and self-compassion on nurses’ professional quality of life and well-being. Methods: The research had a cross-sectional design, used correlational methodology and a structural equation model was hypothesized. Along the study, 210 nurses from the Healthcare Public System of the Balearic Islands, participated. The study took place from June to September 2018. Results: The hypothesized model showed an overall adequate fit. Practice environment predicted both self-care and self-compassion, whereas nursing stress did not. Self-care and self-compassion predicted nurses’ professional quality of life, whereas the practice environment and nursing stress were not predictors. Finally, professional quality of life showed a positive relationship with life satisfaction. Conclusions: The study presents a comprehensive structural equation model in which self-care and self-compassion are the best predictors of nurses’ professional quality of life. A direct relation of professional quality of life and nurses’ well-being has also been found, while controlling for the effects of nurses’ practice environment and stress.

scholarly journals Well-Being Workshops in Eating Disorder Wards and Their Perceived Benefits to Patients and the Multi-Disciplinary Team: A Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Katherine Smith ◽  
Yasemin Dandil ◽  
Claire Baillie ◽  
Kate Tchanturia
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Structure ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Staff Burnout ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Multi Disciplinary Team

A more holistic definition of patients’ recovery from eating disorders (EDs) highlights that well-being interventions linked to self-compassion are under-researched and under-utilised. Staff burnout is also common in ED units (EDUs), linked to difficult relationships with patients and poor self-care, and is not well addressed. Therefore we piloted a series of joint well-being workshops to target these issues. Joint workshops were offered to patients (n = 55) and the multi-disciplinary team MDT (n = 34) in adult ED wards over two years. Experiences were evaluated quantitively and qualitatively. Mood post-workshops increased significantly for both groups (patients: p < 0.001, r = 0.49; MDT: z = 3.043, p = 0.002, r = 0.41), with the feeling that they deserved to take time for self-care (patients: z = 2.419, p = 0.016, r = 0.31); MDT: z = 2.814, p = 0.005, r = 0.38). Workshops were found to be enjoyable and highly relevant to well-being, but less useful by patients. Thematic analysis identified six themes: Enjoyment, recovery and well-being, relationships, content, structure and future ideas. Both groups experienced improved mood and increased enjoyment and awareness of well-being. Patient isolation was addressed, and the staff experienced stress reduction and increased productivity. Both groups experienced improved relationships.

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