Challenge Tips

Reflect on Climate Health

Climate change impacts our mental and physical health. It is the biggest threat to humanity, costing the lives of millions of people around the globe each year. Realizing this, the American Nurses Association (ANA) states:

Nurses must be informed about the deep interconnection of human health and the health of the environment. 

Understanding the ways climate impacts patient health — and your own — can boost your motivation to act in several ways:

• Personalizing the issue by attributing a patient’s disaster-related condition — asthma attack, heatstroke, or mental health disorder — to climate change.

• Increasing empathy by realizing that many health conditions are a direct result of preventable climate-related conditions.

• Focusing on self-care and lifestyle changes that support the environment after experiencing burnout and trauma following a disaster.

Your Action for Today

Journal one way climate change has affected your work or well-being this year. Reflect on how it made you feel. Brainstorm ways you might be able to take proactive measures to prevent or mitigate the impact on both your health and your patients’ health in the future.

Bonus Action: Share your thoughts with your team. Note any changes you can make at the unit level, in the office, or wherever you spend most of your time in the workplace.

Join us on day 2: A sneak peek - Ditch the disposables and make a switch to reusable items.