Our well-being centre is a hub for mental health support in these toughest of times

Nursing Standard’s free-to-access nurse well-being resources are full of practical advice on staying in control of your mental health as COVID-19 cases surge

Just before the turn of the year we asked nurses on social media which three emotions summed up the previous 12 months for them.

‘Sadness’, ‘fear’, ‘frustration’, ‘determination’, ‘pride’ and ‘hope’ were among the responses as the profession grapples with the gruelling surge in COVID-19 infections just as the unfolding reality of mass vaccination allows room for cautious optimism.

It is clear nurses need support to sustain their mental well-being

2021 began with many nurses and healthcare staff sharing their experiences of shifts that had left them feeling shattered and depleted, and England’s chief nurse Ruth May appealing to the public to follow social distancing rules because nurses have worked ‘incredibly hard’ to care for sick patients.

We know nurses are increasingly looking for support for their mental health. This is why we have launched an online well-being centre, a space on our website dedicated to helping nurses look after themselves and each other as they continue to face enormous challenges and harrowing workload.

The centre, sponsored by digital mental health platform SilverCloud and NHS Employers, offers straightforward, free-to-access advice, information and techniques on issues such as:

• How to switch off at the end of your shift, and check in with colleagues before you go home.
• What to do when you feel overwhelmed – an incredibly popular article guides you through steps to take to regain control when circumstances threaten to engulf you.
• Stress relief – our podcast on the subject draws on the knowledge of a critical care nurse and well-being expert, and includes a brief relaxation exercise listeners can practise at home. And there’s a discussion on moral injury, the form of psychological distress that can result from an action or inaction that conflicts with an individual’s moral or ethical code.

Please give us your feedback

We will be updating these resources regularly and they will remain available beyond the height of the pandemic and vaccination programme, when they’ll still be much needed.

I care deeply about mental health and want this support to be accessible and useful, so please share any feedback via Twitter or email.

Take care of yourselves.

Related articles

• How to switch off at the end of your shift
• When stress gets too much: how to take control of what threatens to overwhelm you
• Nursing Standard podcast: Stress relief for busy nurses