40. Feeling Off? This 2-Minute Self-Care Practice Can Help

Feeling a little off this week? You're not alone. In this short episode of The Nurses' Breakroom with Jenny Lytle, RN, I’m sharing a personal reflection after my recent girls’ trip — and how a simple 2-minute self-care check-in can make a huge difference.

Whether you’re dealing with stress, burnout, or just feel “off,” this quick reset using my BECOMING Method can help you get back on track with more clarity and peace — no pressure, no guilt.

🎧 In this 8-minute episode, you’ll learn:

• Why regular self-check-ins matter (especially during busy seasons)
• How to use a simple 3-question tool to identify what you need most
• Ways to reset your mindset without overhauling your whole life
• The real reason pausing—even briefly—can reduce stress fast

✨ Take a moment for you. You’re worth it.

🔗 Click here to complete your free self-care check-in

📘 Want more support? Grab your free digital copy of Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief at https://www.jennylytle.com/

Keywords: self-care for nurses, nurse burnout recovery, stress relief tips, emotional check-in, simple self-care ideas, BECOMING Method, personalized self-care, clarity and reset 

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Chapters

• 0:59 Welcome Back After Girls Trip
• 1:41 The Importance of Self-Reflection
• 3:01 Creating a Simple Self-Care Check-in
• 5:39 Small Steps to Support Yourself
• 8:13 Final Thoughts on Self-Care

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:30

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Nurse's Breakroom with Jenny Lytle RN. Today I am back from my girls trip and it was fun and refreshing and it gave me a lot of time to reflect on some things. Last week I talked about the fact that I was struggling in some areas and I can't say that I've got it all figured out. But I do feel much more clarity, much more at peace, and part of that is, of course, from having time away and having time with friends and in new situations and just taking a step back from day-to-day life. But a big part of that is also because I did take the time to actually reflect and I took the time to work through my becoming method, because not only is it something that works when we're first trying to figure everything out, but it also is great for a reset when we notice that we start getting off track. And in general, I try to check in with myself more often, but this has been an incredibly busy season, which in reality means it's even more important to check in with ourselves. But I I get off track too, and so that's what happened and I recognized that and knew that it was time to kind of start over and just do a bit of a reset, and so that's what I have been doing. It's something that is quick and simple to do once you kind of have the process down. And so, if you don't know, I had created the Becoming Method based on my own history and my own issues with burnout and with stress relief and self-care and trying to figure out how to make it all work. And it was a long, painful, expensive and time consuming and confusing process to figure out like, how do I get out of this feeling that feels so messy and I feel like I don't have any time for myself or my own needs? How do I go from that to a life that feels more aligned with who I am and who I want to be? And so that's what my book, self-care Isn't Selfish the Compassionate Nurse's Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief that's what the book goes into. And so, if you're not familiar with that, if you haven't goes into. And so, if you're not familiar with that, if you haven't read that, it is a great way to be able to not only check in with yourself but to quickly get to where you want to go. And so you can grab a free digital copy of the book on my website at Jenny Lytlecom.

Speaker 1: 3:33

So, yes, the trip was great, but really there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed, right, and so it was wonderful to come back as well. But it made me realize how easy it is to just push through without really checking in with ourselves, and that's why, this week, I created a super short self-care check-in, because I was reminded that that's something that we need, and I want that for you too for you to stop and check in, just pause and breathe and notice how you're doing right now. So it's just a couple of questions. I sent it out to my email list earlier this week and I'm going to include it in the show notes as well, because I think that it's something that can be very helpful just to pause and take those one to two minutes to really figure out what it is that you need. What are you missing, how are you feeling, and then, what is it that you can do about that? And so it's looking at how am I feeling today, and maybe it's great and energized or pretty good overall. Just okay, feeling stressed or tired or struggling a lot right now, and not only does that let you know. Okay, hey, this is how I'm feeling right now and just acknowledging that. But if you are feeling stressed or tired or maybe you feel like you're really struggling, is this a one-off you're just kind of having a bad day or a bad couple of days thing or is this more of a pattern that maybe needs some more intentional intervention? And if it's a one-off thing and maybe you didn't sleep well last night or you've got a big project going on being able to recognize that this is going on and so that's causing me to feel this way then that allows you to have a little more grace with yourself.

Speaker 1: 5:41

And sometimes maybe you need to back off in a couple of areas where you can for a day or two, just to give yourself time to to rebalance. And then the next area is what area of self care needs a little extra love right now? So maybe that's your sleep and rest. That was something that I had gotten a little out of balance with as well. Part of that comes from working nights sometimes, and just from day-to-day life. I really try to prioritize sleep, but occasionally that doesn't happen that way.

Speaker 1: 6:15

So is it sleep and rest, or nutrition and hydration? Maybe it's movement and exercise, or relaxation and stress relief, connection with others, or mental health and mindset. So thinking about which of those areas could use a little extra time and attention. And if it's all of those things, then just start small, start on something that feels like okay, you know what? This is something that I can easily incorporate into my life, into my day, and it's a good place to start. And that's the next part is just what is one small thing that you could do today to support yourself, and that could be something very simple, like taking a five minute walk or saying no to extra work or going to bed earlier.

Speaker 1: 7:06

And then, if you do choose to fill the form out, and really it's just those quick questions. But if you would also like a personalized tip or resource based upon what you say, then you know, then let me, and I'm happy to get that to you. So maybe you realize that you're doing pretty well, and if so, that's great. Or maybe you're really feeling drained, and that's okay too. Either way, you're not alone and you don't need a complete overhaul. Just one small step that you can make to show some kindness and compassion to yourself. Thank you so much for taking this time for you, and remember to pause and breathe and know that you're worth caring for. Until next time, remember self-care isn't selfish. It's essential if we want to continue to care for others and to live our best lives. I'll see you next week.