Not a list of things that look good on Instagram. Things that actually help.
Self-care for nurse mums is a strange topic.
Because the advice is usually things like: take a bath, light a candle, do a face mask. And those things are fine. But when you’ve just come off a twelve-hour shift and your son needs dinner and your feet are still aching from the ward — a bubble bath is not the first thing on your mind.
What I’ve found, over four years of shift work and one very energetic little boy, is that the self-care that actually works is small, specific, and fast. It doesn’t require a free afternoon. It fits into the gaps.
These are the three things I actually reach for. Not aspirationally. Regularly.
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1. A Foam Roller — For the Shift That Lives in Your Body my experience
Twelve hours on your feet does something specific to your body. It’s not just tiredness. It’s a particular tightness — calves, lower back, the space between your shoulder blades where you’ve been holding tension without realising it.
I started using a foam roller after night shifts, on the floor in the living room before I even made it to the bedroom. Five minutes. That’s all. Just working through the parts that hurt.
It is not glamorous. It is one of the most effective things I do for my body after a hard shift.
Medium density, textured surface — firm enough to work, not so hard it’s just pain. Especially good through the calves and lower back after a long shift on your feet.
→ The foam roller I use and recommend
2. An Aromatherapy Diffuser — For the Sleep That Doesn’t Come Easily my experience
Night shift sleep is its own category of difficulty. Your body knows it’s daytime. The light comes through the curtains. Your son is at daycare but your brain won’t fully switch off.
I started using a diffuser with lavender oil about two years ago, mostly out of desperation. I was skeptical. It works — not as a cure, but as a signal. The smell becomes associated with sleep over time, the same way the drive home with worship music became associated with decompressing from the shift.
The ritual matters as much as the product. Diffuser on, blackout curtains drawn, phone face down. The combination tells your nervous system something your alarm clock cannot: it is time to stop.
Look for one with an auto shut-off and timer function — so you’re not worrying about it while you’re trying to fall asleep.
→ Aromatherapy diffuser → Ultrasonic aromatherapy diffuser (auto shut-off)
For the oil: pure lavender, not a blend. Simple, effective, and you’ll go through it faster than you expect.
3. A Body Moisturiser — For Hands That Have Been Washed Too Many Times my experience
Nobody tells student nurses what handwashing does to your skin over time.
By year two, my hands were dry in a way that no amount of regular lotion was fixing. The backs of my hands, my knuckles — the skin was visibly compromised. It looked like I was much older than I was.
What changed it was switching to something formulated for damaged skin barriers — thicker, fewer fragrances, ingredients that actually repair rather than just coat. I apply it at handover, in the car, and again before bed. Thirty seconds. That’s all it takes.
You don’t need an elaborate skincare routine. You need one thing that works, used consistently. CeraVe is that thing for me — ceramides, fragrance-free, genuinely repairs over time rather than just sitting on top.
Why Only Three
I used to think self-care meant doing more. More products, more routines, more effort.
What I’ve found is that three things you actually use are worth more than fifteen things that sit on a shelf. The foam roller lives next to the couch. The diffuser is on my bedside table. The moisturiser is in my bag.
That’s the whole system. It’s not impressive. It works.
“작은 루틴이 번아웃을 늦춰준다.” Small, consistent habits slow the slide. That applies to clinical practice and to how you take care of yourself.
✝️ A note on this: Rest is not a reward for finishing everything. It never gets finished. There will always be another shift, another load of washing, another thing that needs doing. The discipline of caring for your body — even in small ways — is part of honouring the life you’ve been given and sustaining the work you’ve been called to. You cannot keep pouring from empty. Fill up, even imperfectly, even in five-minute increments. It counts.
Shifting with Grace — for the nurse mum who deserves more than she gives herself permission to have.
→ Self Care for Nurse Mums That Actually Works