Challenge Tips

Be Kind to Future You

Kindness toward yourself includes planning for your future well-being — because true self-care isn’t just reactive, it’s proactive.

While it’s fine to soothe yourself when you're already exhausted or overwhelmed, self-care does its best work before you get to the point of no return. Proactive self-care happens when you take steps to care for your future self. Setting boundaries, scheduling rest, or preparing for stressful periods are ways to practice a deeper, more sustainable form of kindness.

Your Action for Today

Practice proactive self-care by doing something for your future self. Some ideas include:

• Carving out time on your calendar for physical exercise
• Prepping meals for the week ahead
• Saying no to extra shifts when you’re already overwhelmed
• Scheduling rest when you know you’ll need it
• Setting phone or app limits to prevent “doomscrolling”

The best proactive self-care plan is one that meets your specific needs. Include any activities or actions that reduce stress and boost your sense of well-being.

You’ve completed the Sustain Humanity With Kindness Challenge! Know that your individual acts of kindness contribute to a much larger picture — that of sustaining humankind and the world we live in. That’s powerful and it all starts with you!

We hope you found this challenge beneficial and enjoyable. Using the social media links on the left side of your page, feel free to share it with a fellow nurse and invite them to join Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation®.

Missed day 9? Catch up here.