in this practice we'll use gentle breathing, mindful awareness, and the comforting sensation of a hand resting over your heart to create a moment of connection with yourself.

whether you're beginning your morning, transitioning out of a nursing shift, or simply wanting a few minutes to reconnect with your body, this practice offers a space to slow down and tend to the human behind the nurse.

find a comfortable place, soften your gaze, and allow yourself these next few minutes.

you deserve moments of care that are just for you.

with love,
kelly 🤍

explore more restoration: join our free nurturing the nurse community or paid membership for a library of guided practices, restorative education, live + on-demand restore classes, and resources to support your well-being beyond the bedside.

join the nurturing the nurse community
https://www.patreon.com/cw/nurturingthenursecommunity

instagram
@nurturingthenurse
https://www.instagram.com/nurturingthenurse/

tiktok
@nurturingthenurse
https://www.tiktok.com/@nurturingthenurse

substack
nurturing the nurse
https://nurturingthenurse.substack.com/

website
https://nurturingthenurse.com/

all links + offerings
https://linktr.ee/nurturingthenurse

come find the kind of support that meets you where you are. 🤍

gentle disclaimer: this podcast is intended for educational and supportive purposes only and is not a substitute for medical, mental health, or individualized professional care.

for guided practices, please listen only when you are in a safe place to pause and be present. do not listen while driving, working, or doing anything that requires your full attention.

maybe lately your sleep has been disrupted. perhaps your shifts have been unpredictable. maybe your routines have fallen away. perhaps your energy feels different. or maybe you simply have not felt fully like yourself.

inside this practice, you will be invited to:

• notice where your body is already being supported
• reconnect with the natural rhythm of your breath
• release the pressure to create the perfect care routine
• notice what might help you feel a little more connected to yourself today
• choose one small anchor that helps you find your way back
• practice returning without criticizing yourself for drifting away

because life will interrupt your rhythm. nursing will interrupt your rhythm. your energy, capacity, routines, and life season will change.

the goal is not to create a rhythm you never lose. it is to remember that you can return again and again, in whatever small way feels available to you today.

press play whenever you need a gentle place to come back to yourself. 🤍

if you want to explore september's theme of returning to rhythm more deeply, the new members only tuesday tea chat, what is rhythmic living?, is now available inside the nurturing the nurse digital community.

the community is free to join, with paid options to unlock the full library of supportive practices, conversations, restorative resources, live experiences, and more.

join the nurturing the nurse community
https://www.patreon.com/cw/nurturingthenursecommunity

instagram
@nurturingthenurse
https://www.instagram.com/nurturingthenurse/

tiktok
@nurturingthenurse
https://www.tiktok.com/@nurturingthenurse

substack
nurturing the nurse
https://nurturingthenurse.substack.com/

website
https://nurturingthenurse.com/

all links + offerings
https://linktr.ee/nurturingthenurse

come find the kind of support that meets you where you are. 🤍

gentle disclaimer: this podcast is intended for educational and supportive purposes only and is not a substitute for medical, mental health, or individualized professional care.

for guided practices, please listen only when you are in a safe place to pause and be present. do not listen while driving, working, or doing anything that requires your full attention.

a day off as a nurse does not always mean your body knows how to be off.

for many nurses, the shift ends but the internal urgency continues.

you wake up thinking about everything that needs to be cleaned, completed, answered, organized, or prepared before you return to work again.

your day off quietly becomes another shift.

in this episode of nurturing the nurse | a restoration podcast for nurses, we explore what it means to experience time away from work without immediately turning it into another opportunity to perform, produce, or catch up.

we talk about the difference between being physically away from the workplace and actually feeling off duty inside your body.

restoration is not always about doing more wellness practices. sometimes it begins by noticing the pressure you carry into your restoration practice and giving yourself permission to move through the day a little differently.

inside this episode, we explore:

• why your nervous system may still feel activated on your day off

• why slowing down can initially feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar

• the difference between using your day off to recover enough to return and allowing it to belong to you

• a guided embodied practice to help you reconnect with the human underneath the nurse

1. your day off does not need to be perfectly restorative.

2. it does not need to become a self-care race.

3. it does not need to prove that you used your time well.

perhaps the invitation is simply to pause before filling every open space and ask: what would help me feel a little more like myself today?

let your answer be simple.

a slow cup of tea.
a walk.
music in the kitchen.
lying down.
choosing something because you enjoy it, not because it is productive.

you are allowed to have time that does not ask anything from you.

you are allowed to be a person on your day off.

🤍

the nurturing the nurse restoration podcast offers gentle education, reflection, and nervous system informed practices for nurses who are ready to reconnect with themselves outside of caregiving mode.

share this episode with a nurse who deserves a softer day off, and explore more restorative support inside nourish at nurturingthenurse.com.

as a nurse...you may have clocked out, taken off your badge, and left the building, but your body may still feel like it is at work.

aka... you might still be moving at the pace of the shift, replaying moments from the day, carrying something emotionally heavy, or feeling overstimulated and unable to fully settle back into your own life.

this gentle post-shift grounding practice is here to help you create a small moment of transition between being the nurse and returning to yourself.

through breath, grounding, gentle body awareness, and orienting, this practice will support you in creating a little more space between the shift you just completed and whatever comes next.

come back to this practice:

• from your safely parked car after work

• when you first arrive home

• before transitioning into sleep

• after an emotionally heavy or overstimulating shift

• anytime your body needs support leaving nurse mode

your shift is complete. welcome back to you. 🤍

if you would like more gentle support like this, you are invited to join the nurture membership for access to a library of guided practices, restorative audio, and tea chats created for the human behind the nursing role.

for deeper support, join nourish, my full nurse well-being membership and digital restoration space. inside, you’ll receive access to the complete on-demand library, longer restoration classes, live restorative gatherings, supportive resources, and practices to help you reconnect with yourself beyond survival mode.

choose the level of support that feels most nourishing for you through the membership link:

https://patreon.com/nurturingthenursecommunity?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

disclaimer: please listen from somewhere safe and never while driving or operating machinery. meditation and restorative practices are not a replacement for medical care, mental health treatment, or individualized support from a qualified healthcare professional.

before you step into the role of the nurse, take a few minutes to arrive as yourself first.

this 8-minute pre-shift meditation is designed to help you ground into your body, reconnect with your breath, and set an intention for the workday ahead.

whether you are listening in your parked car before walking into the hospital, getting ready at home, or taking a quiet moment before your shift begins, this practice offers a gentle transition into the day.

together, we will slow down, notice what your body may already be carrying, soften some of the anticipatory tension that can come before work, and create a little more space between you and everything that is waiting for you.

this practice is about remembering that you are a human being inside of the nurse role, too.

you do not have to carry the entire shift before it begins.

come back to this practice whenever you need a more grounded beginning to your nursing shift.

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nurturing the nurse is a restoration podcast created for the human behind the nurse, offering guided meditations, nervous system support, mindfulness practices, reflection, and conversations around nurse well-being.

want more support?

if this practice supported you and you are looking for a deeper place to care for yourself alongside other nurses, you are invited into nourish — the nurturing the nurse membership for ongoing restorative support, live gatherings, nurse-centered well-being education, reflection, and an on-demand library of practices you can return to when you need them.

if you love having guided practices like this in your headphones, you can also join the nurture podcast membership for $9/month for exclusive audio practices, guided meditations, and weekly tea chats created specifically for the human behind the nurse.

you do not have to wait until you are completely depleted to begin receiving care, too.

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gentle reminder: this practice is intended for general wellness and educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental health care. please listen only when you are somewhere you can safely direct your attention inward.

i’m your host, kelly dubowski, msn, rn, holistic nurse coach and founder of nurturing the nurse.

each monday, a new guided restoration will be here to offer you a few moments to pause, reconnect, and receive care, too. 🤍

show notes from kelly:

i wanted the very first practice in this space to feel like a homecoming.

why? because nursing can pull us so far outside of ourselves.

into the needs of the patient.
the next task.
the next to-do list.
the next person who needs something from us.

we become so skilled at noticing everyone else that we may slowly lose touch with what is happening within our own body, heart, and nervous system.

this 11-minute guided restoration is an invitation to gently return.

• not to become a better version of yourself.

• not to fix everything you are feeling.

• not to force yourself to relax.

simply to pause long enough to remember that you are still here beneath the role, the responsibility, the pressure, and everything you have been carrying.

to me, restoration is not about doing more self-care. it is the practice of allowing care to reach you.

it is creating enough space for your body to soften, your breath to deepen, and your inner world to be noticed without judgment.

through grounding, somatic awareness, gentle breath, and guided imagery, this practice will support you in stepping out of caregiver mode and reconnecting with the human behind the nurse.

you do not need to arrive calm.

you do not need to empty your mind.

you do not need to be anything other than exactly where you are.

let this practice meet you after a long shift, before sleep, at the beginning of your week, or anytime you notice that you have been moving through life without fully feeling connected to yourself.

may it remind you that coming home does not always mean returning to a place.

sometimes, coming home is returning to your own breath.

your own body.

your own presence.

your own life.

take a breath.

this moment is for you. 🤍

disclaimer:

please do not listen to this practice while driving or operating machinery.

this podcast is intended for education, reflection, and general wellness support. it is not a replacement for medical care, mental health treatment, therapy, diagnosis, or individualized professional support.

special note:

for even more support, you can join our member-exclusive nurture podcast or nourish membership for weekly tea chats, deeper reflections, education, live events, and support created to help care reach you beyond the public episodes.

listen anytime, move at your own pace, and let this become part of your rhythm of care. 🤍