Prioritizing Your Well-Being

Work challenges can exact a heavy toll on nurses and cause mental and emotional distress. While definitions of well-being are often individual, we’ve curated a range of AACN resources on diverse aspects of health and wellness that may be useful during times of stress or anxiety.

Access Helpful Resources

AACN offers resources to help you consider your own well-being at the same time you are providing exceptional care for your patients and their families. The following resources suggest strategies that may inspire you along the way.

Suicide Among Nurses
While nurse suicide is a phenomenon we often don't talk about, the data cannot be ignored. A 2020 study reveals that nurses have a higher risk of suicide than the general population.
Imposter Syndrome in Nursing: A Barrier to Personal Growth
This phenomenon is experienced by people across a wide range of age groups.
Building a Healthy Work Environment (HWE) on Your Unit
Discover tips for building and sustaining an HWE.
Write Your Way Through Emotional Difficulty and Stress: Journaling for Self-Care
Nurses are at great risk for burnout, anxiety and exhaustion.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Why It Matters to Me
This book offers advice for nurses of color to continue to be their best selves, find mentors and use resources.
Allowing Space for Psychological Safety in a Healthy Work Environment
This NTI session explores Healthy Work Environment standards in promoting patient safety.

The Well-Being Initiative

AACN has partnered with other leading nursing organizations to provide free tools and resources to support your mental health and well-being.

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Explore Organizational Resources

Creating a healthy work environment (HWE) enables nurses to provide the highest standards of compassionate care while being fulfilled at work. Learn more about AACN’s six HWE standards, conduct a free assessment of your unit, and find the evidence-based resources needed to build and sustain an HWE.

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AACN’s Peer Support Community

The Peer Support Community is a place where AACN members can engage with their peers, share their experiences, support each other and get advice from other nurses who share valuable insights on topics such as PTSD, moral distress, self-care, resilience and burnout.

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Advancing the Profession Through Advocacy

We use the strength of our community to advance the nursing profession and work with other organizations in coalition, lending our voice to advance nurses’ priorities.

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Nurse Well-Being and Recognition Fund

The Nurse Well-Being and Recognition Fund provides a long-term source of restricted funding for initiatives that recognize nurses and those who support their work. Guided by Meaningful Recognition, one of the AACN Healthy Work Environment standards, AACN seeks to build global awareness of who nurses are, what they do and their unique contributions to the healthcare system. In the short term, these efforts offer an opportunity to recognize exceptional colleagues for their daily work as knowledgeable clinicians and leaders who are vital to delivering optimal care for patients and families.

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Access Help

Seeking help is a sign of strength and courage, as it shows awareness of the problem and a willingness to do something about it.

Seek Help

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to connect to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Free Resources

Disclaimer:

  • We do not offer licensed mental health services. If you are in crisis, call 911 immediately for assistance.
  • If you need help right away or if you believe someone is at imminent risk of harming themselves, call the 24-hour 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline . An additional resource may be the toll-free, 24-hour Substance and Mental Health Services Administration at 800-662-HELP (800-662-4357).

Relevant Resources

We continually curate the most relevant AACN resources related to well-being. The following resources, which address many aspects of the issue, are sorted by content type.