Have you ever read something that just flipped your day around?
Sometimes, all it takes is a sweet reminder or a motivating phrase to inspire you. I qualify positive and motivating quotes as nurse self-care.
There is something about reading something online that makes it more believable. I’m always like “well I read this thing online, so I should do it.”
Quotes are so incredibly powerful and can really help improve your life, even if it’s a teeny bit.
I’ve compiled this list of nurse self-care quotes because self-care is too often forgotten. I hope these quotes serve as a reminder of their importance.
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Well, what exactly is self-care?
The true meaning of self-care has definitely been manipulated and altered throughout time.
In the simplest of definitions, it is the act of taking care of yourself, but there is so much more to it.
Self-care does not mean self-indulgence. I think that’s a common misconception we should clear up first.
Self-care means prioritizing yourself so you can take care of your health, both mentally and physically.
Doing this cascades into you being a good individual, partner, child, mentor, sibling, etc.
Self-care should be the core of your existence because, without it, you are not living a self-prioritizing life.
Without self-care, you can easily induce mental health problems such as anxiety or depression as well as physical problems such as chronic pain or fatigue.
Self-care is important for all human beings, but it’s especially important for nurses.
Nurses’ entire role is to give, help, and be empathetic.
Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.
Nursing is not always a “balanced” job where the more you give, the more you receive.
It can sometimes feel like just giving.
This is why self-care and prioritizing yourself are beyond important for nurses.
Sometimes, the actions that self-care requires may feel intimidating if you are just starting out.
No worries at all. Today we are going to start with some inspiring self-care quotes. This will start brewing that nurse motivation and help get you feeling excited and ready to add self-care into your life.
52 Nurse Self-Care Quotes To Inspire You
1. “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” -Oprah
2. “A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.” -Andrew Matthews
3. “Self-care equals success. You’re going to be more successful if you take care of yourself and you’re healthy.” -Beth Behrs
4. “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.” -Roy T. Bennett
5. “I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you’re giving up that makes you resentful.” -Marissa Mayer
6. “In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.” –Dalai Lama
7. “Self-discipline is self-caring.” -M. Scott Peck
8. “I want to feel my life while I’m in it.” -Meryl Streep
9. “Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you’re going to live your life.” -Joel Osteen
10. “One person’s self-care isn’t necessarily another’s—there is going to be a lot of individuality.” -Gail Saltz, M.D.
11. “Do something nice for yourself today. Find some quiet, sit in stillness, breathe. Put your problems on pause. You deserve a break.” -Akiroq Brost
12. “We can climb mountains with self-love.” -Samira Wiley
13. “Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.” -Alice Walker
14. “There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself.” -Brian Andreas
15. “Self-care is your fuel … Whatever the road ahead or the path you’ve taken, self-care is what keeps your motor running and your wheels turning.” -Melissa Steginus
16. “Selfishness at the expense of others is bad. Self-care for the betterment of others is good.” -Richie Norton
17. “When you say ‘yes’ to others make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself.” -Paulo Coelho
18. “Every morning, look in the mirror and affirm positive words into your life.” -Lailah Gifty Akita
19. “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” -Shannon L. Alder
20. “When we commit to action, to actually doing something rather than feeling trapped by events, the stress in our life becomes manageable.” -Greg Anderson
21. “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does—that makes you a winner right there.” -Venus Williams
22. “Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.” -Cecilia Tran
23. “Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” -Hans Selye
24. “You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” -Eckhart Tolle
25. “Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” -Christopher Germer
26. “Honestly, self-care is not fluffy. It’s something we should take seriously.” -Kris Carr
27. “You wash your hands when you shake a bunch of hands. You have to wash your energy when you’re around people. It’s hard for me to say self-care is washing, although I think it is. So I made music for self-care. That’s what it’s for.” -India Arie
28. “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” -Sydney J. Harris
29. “Loving yourself isn’t vanity. It’s sanity.” -Katrina Mayer
30. “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” -Wayne Dyer
31. “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” -John Lubbock
32. “Keep good company, read good books, love good things, and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can.” -Louisa May Alcott
33. “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” -Ovid
34. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” -Anne Lamott
35. “If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” –Charles Bukowski
36. “Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” -Hermann Hesse
37. “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find they haven’t half the strength you have.” – Norman Vincent Peale
38. “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” -Jack Kornfield
39. “If you do not respect your own wishes, no one else will. You will simply attract people who disrespect you as much as you do.” -Vironika Tugaleva
40. “Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-break on.” -Maxwell Maltz
41. “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” – Lily Tomlin
42. “Self-care is how you take your power back.” – Lalah Delia
43. “It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” –Mandy Hale
44. “If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.” -Barbara De Angelis
45. “It is so important to take time for yourself and find clarity. The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.” –Diane Von Furstenberg
46. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you.” –Karl Lagerfeld
47. “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” –Maya Angelou
48. “Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” – Valerie Bertinelli
49. “To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life.” -Jill Bolte Taylor
50. “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” -Winston Churchill
51. “Don’t take your health for granted. Don’t take your body for granted. Do something today that communicates to your body that you desire to care for it. Tomorrow is not promised.” –Jada Pinkett Smith
52. “Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.” –Ray Bradbury
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