Gentle gloves: The importance of self‐compassion for mental health nurses during COVID‐19

We know that mental health nurses engage in complex and efficacious processes of relating to and treating consumers warmly and with an empathic and compassionate approach. But do they do this for themselves? Self-compassion is when we enact compassion for ourselves – that is, we become aware of our suffering and attempt to do things that will be helpful for us, such as addressing a problem, attempting to put a failing in perspective, and being kind to ourselves. Based on the research, I suggest that nurses who engage in self-compassion will positively impact their well-being and resilience, and in turn, the care that they provide to consumers.