Let’s be honest: as a nursing student, the phrase “self-care” probably makes you want to roll your eyes. You’ve got pharmacology exams to cram for, clinical rotations that start before sunrise, care plans that never end, and somehow you’re supposed to find time to light a candle and journal about your feelings? Yeah, right.
But here’s what nobody tells you when you start nursing school—you can’t pour from an empty cup, and burned-out students make mistakes. The compassion fatigue that ends careers doesn’t start on the job. It starts right here, right now, when you convince yourself that taking care of yourself is selfish or that you’ll rest “after finals” or “once this semester ends.”
The good news? Self-care doesn’t have to mean hour-long bubble baths or expensive spa days. It can happen in five minutes, right in the middle of your chaotic schedule.
Five-Minute Practices That Actually Work
The Power Pause: Between classes or during study breaks, find a quiet corner and practice box breathing for five minutes. Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four. It sounds too simple to work, but this activates your parasympathetic nervous system and actually reduces cortisol. Your racing heart will slow down, and you’ll be able to think clearly again.
Fuel Your Body Right: Grab a protein-rich snack and drink a full glass of water. That’s it. Five minutes. Low blood sugar and dehydration tank your concentration and mood faster than you realize. Greek yogurt, nuts, a cheese stick, a hard-boiled egg—pair any of these with water, and you’ve just given your brain the fuel it needs to actually retain what you’re studying.
Move Your Body: Your body takes a beating during clinical—standing for hours, lifting patients, and hunching over charts. Take five minutes for a simple stretch sequence: neck rolls, shoulder shrugs, forward fold, and hip flexor stretches. Your back will thank you, and the movement helps clear mental fog.
The Screen Break: Put your phone down for five minutes. Actually, put it down. Look out a window, stretch, walk around, or just sit in silence. Your brain needs rest from constant stimulation. This isn’t wasted time—it’s how you prevent burnout and actually improve your retention.
Brain Dump Before Bed: Keep a notebook by your bed and spend five minutes before sleep writing down everything swirling in your head—tomorrow’s tasks, worries, and thoughts about the 20 medications you will give twice on the shift to your patient. Getting it out of your brain and onto paper helps you sleep more soundly, and sleep is when your brain consolidates everything you learned that day.
The Truth About Self-Care in Nursing School
Self-care feels indulgent when you’re drowning in material you need to learn to help the lives you’ll eventually save. You’ll think, “I don’t have time for this.” But the truth is, you don’t have time NOT to do it.
Every semester, students end up in crisis—physically sick, mentally exhausted, and questioning whether they can finish. And every semester, the ones who make it through aren’t necessarily the smartest or the ones who studied the most. They’re the ones who remembered to eat, sleep, breathe, take breaks, and ask for help.
You’re not just learning to be a nurse. You’re learning to be a nurse who lasts—who doesn’t burn out in five years because you never learned that caring for yourself is part of caring for others. When you practice self-care, you model for your future patients what it means to honor your own needs. You’re building the stamina to keep showing up, semester after semester, shift after shift.
Start Small, Start Now
Don’t try to overhaul your entire life. Pick just one of these practices and commit to it for one week. Set a phone reminder. Treat it like a non-negotiable appointment, like a clinical or class session. Track your wins with simple checkmarks on your calendar.
You’ll miss days. Life will get crazy. That’s normal. Self-care isn’t about perfection—it’s about returning to caring for yourself again and again, even after you’ve neglected it.
Here’s your permission slip: You’re allowed to take breaks. To say no when you’re depleted. To eat real meals. To sleep instead of over-studying. To have feelings about the hard things you witness. To not be perfect.
Nursing school will demand everything from you. These five-minute practices are how you keep a small piece of yourself protected, nourished, and whole for the incredible career ahead.
Start today. Pick one practice. Set a timer for five minutes. Take care of the future nurse you’re becoming.
Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s how you stay in this profession long enough to make the difference you’re meant to make.
You’ve got this.
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