[Promoting Self-Care and Resilience in High-Stress Nursing Workplaces]

Staffing shortages and excessive workloads are issues faced by nurses worldwide. In the United States, 62% of nurses experience burnout, with burnout rates reaching as high as 75% among nurses under the age of 25 (American Nurses Association, 2024). In Taiwan, recent nursing staff shortages have led to excessive workloads and exhaustion among clinical nurses, presenting a critical challenge for nursing administration and education. Occupational burnout not only affects psychological well-being but also negatively influences clinical decision-making and the ability to cope with stress (Gao et al., 2023). Self-care refers to the attention and care given to one's physical and mental health. Effective self-care involves regularly implementing strategies to prevent stress and anxiety while enhancing overall health and well-being (Kwon, 2023). Resilience is generally defined as a dynamic adaptation process describing the ability to overcome difficulties and grow from adversity without succumbing to burnout or psychosocial health issues. Nurses with higher levels of resilience tend to recover more quickly from stressful events and experience lower levels of emotional exhaustion (Tzeng et al., 2023). From maintaining awareness and care for one's physical and mental well-being to adapting and growing through difficulties and adversity, developing essential relevant knowledge and skills is crucial for nursing professionals, whose training is deeply rooted in altruism, dedication, and empathy and especially applicable in high-stress and overburdened workplace environments. Various self-care and resilience-building interventions have been developed for clinical nursing and nursing education. Examples include mindfulness training, cognitive-behavioral training, home text-based counseling, and resilience training focusing on gratitude, compassion, acceptance, and forgiveness as well as meditation. In addition to traditional in-person training, digital and virtual reality-based resilience programs have been developed to accommodate the needs of nurses who work rotating shifts (Clough et al., 2024; Yu et al., 2024). Research supports that mindfulness training effectively alleviates stress, reduces fatigue, and decreases workplace conflicts among nurses (Lee et al., 2024; Talebiazar et al., 2024). Moreover, fostering mindfulness contributes to greater resilience, increased job satisfaction, and improved patient care outcomes (Talebiazar et al., 2025). A systematic review of mindfulness-based interventions highlighted mindfulness as an effective strategy for emergency and critical care nurses to combat burnout, enhance compassion, and build resilience (Joseph & Jose, 2024). Moreover, a 10-minute virtual reality-based meditation intervention performed during shift hours has been shown to alleviate stress among clinical nurses working 12-hour shifts (Clough et al., 2024). For this issue, four distinguished experts in nursing and psychology specializing in self-care and resilience education and research have been invited to contribute articles. They elaborate on topics including mindfulness-based self-compassion therapy and strategies and common misconceptions encountered during the implementation, gratitude-based resilience, and stress reduction via green space initiatives; practical applications at the levels of both daily nursing routines and institutional norms. In this issue, we aim to help nurses further develop their self-awareness, practice self-compassion, and effectively apply resilience strategies. These efforts will help alleviate work-related stress, reduce burnout, and enhance overall well-being.