Power Up December

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❄️ POWER UP NEWS DECEMBER 2025

Rest, Reflection & Resilience for the Season Ahead

🎁 The Gift of Rest

As the year winds down, rest becomes more than a luxury—it’s a leadership strategy. In healthcare, rest is often postponed—but it’s essential. December is the perfect time to reframe rest as a leadership strategy and a wellness priority. Nurses are often the last to pause, yet the first to feel the weight of fatigue. This month, we’re encouraging teams to embrace rest as a form of resilience.

·       Normalize recovery: Promote guilt-free PTO and mental health days.

• Create quiet zones: Designate a calm space for breaks, meditation, or journaling.

• Share sleep tips: Offer guidance on sleep hygiene for night shift nurses, including light exposure, caffeine timing, and wind-down routines.

• Model boundaries: Leaders who protect their own energy give permission for others to do the same.

Rested nurses deliver safer care, think more clearly, and stay longer. Let’s make rest part of the culture—not just the calendar.

UltraHuman Ring AIR: Your Sleep & Recovery Ally This Holiday Season

The holidays can be magical—and exhausting. Between shift work, emotional labor, travel, and family dynamics, nurses often sacrifice sleep and recovery just when they need it most. That’s where the UltraHuman Ring AIR comes in.

🛌 Why Sleep & Recovery Matter

• Poor sleep increases cortisol, impairs decision-making, and weakens immunity

• Inadequate recovery leads to burnout, mood swings, and chronic fatigue

• Nurses need restorative rest to deliver safe, compassionate care

🌙 What the Ring Tracks

• Sleep stages: Deep, REM, and light sleep breakdown

• Recovery score: Based on heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, and movement

• Circadian rhythm insights: Helps optimize shift alignment and light exposure

• Stress markers: Tracks physiological stress and offers actionable nudges

🎯 Holiday PowerPlugs

UltraHuman’s PowerPlugs offer personalized guidance like:

• “Avoid caffeine after 2 PM to protect deep sleep”

• “Get 10 minutes of morning sun to reset your rhythm”

• “Your recovery is low—consider a rest day or early bedtime”

This season, let’s make sleep sacred and recovery non-negotiable. The UltraHuman Ring AIR isn’t just a wearable—it’s a wellness ally for nurses powering through the holidays.

🛏️ Your Bedroom: Create a Cozy, Restorative Retreat

During the holidays, your bedroom should be more than a place to crash—it should be a sanctuary for recovery, reflection, and rest. Nurses give so much during the season; this is your invitation to give back to yourself.

🕯️ Simple Ways to Cozy Up

•          Layer with texture: Add soft blankets, plush pillows, or a weighted throw for comfort and calm.

•          Warm lighting: Swap harsh bulbs for warm-toned lamps or string lights to create a soothing glow.

•          Scent the space: Use lavender, cedarwood, or vanilla essential oils to signal rest and relaxation.

•          Declutter gently: Clear surfaces and tuck away visual noise—less mess, more peace.

•          Add a ritual: Keep a gratitude journal, a favorite book, or a calming playlist bedside to wind down intentionally.

🧠 Why It Matters

Your bedroom environment directly impacts sleep quality, stress levels, and emotional recovery. By backing your bedroom—making it cozy, intentional, and welcoming—you’re creating space for healing and resilience.

This season, let your bedroom be your recharge zone. You deserve it.

🕯️ Navigating Holiday Emotions

The holidays can bring joy—but also grief, loneliness, and stress. Nurses often carry the emotional weight of others while managing their own. This month, offer:

·       Peer support circles or “Tea & Talk” sessions

• Grief and stress resources, especially for those facing loss

• Mindfulness tools like guided breathing or gratitude journaling

• A “Holiday Hope” board where staff can share wishes, memories, or affirmations

Compassion fatigue is real—but so is collective healing.

✨ Reflecting on the Year

Invite your teams to reflect on moments of growth, gratitude, and impact. Consider prompts like:

• What was one patient interaction that stayed with you?

• What skill or strength did you develop this year?

• Who supported you when you needed it most?

·    What moment reminded you why you became a nurse?

·       What strength did you discover in yourself this year?

·       Who made your workday brighter?

You can turn these reflections into a “Wall of Wins,” a gratitude tree, or a digital slideshow to celebrate the collective spirit of nursing. Recognition fuels retention—and storytelling builds culture.

🎁 Holiday Kindness Challenge

Invite teams to join a simple kindness initiative:

• Hide “kindness notes” in break rooms

• Share gratitude shout-outs on a board

• Do one small act of kindness per shift

·       Angel Tree Giving: Adopt a child or family or coworker through an Angel Tree program, providing gifts and essentials to those in need

These gestures remind us that compassion isn’t just part of nursing—it’s part of living. Together, we can create micro‑moments of joy that ripple far beyond the holidays.

🧣 Seasonal Wellness Tips

·       Hydrate: Heated environments and busy shifts can deplete fluids

• Boost immunity: Vitamin C, zinc, and sleep are your frontline defense

• Keep moving: Even 10-minute walks help regulate mood and circulation

• Eat with intention: Celebrate without guilt—balance is key

• Protect your energy: Say no when needed, and yes to rest

🎶 Joy in Motion: Dance & Music for the Holidays

The holidays can be a time of stress, fatigue, and even loneliness—but joy is a powerful antidote. One of the simplest ways to lift spirits is through dance and music. Movement and rhythm release endorphins, reduce cortisol, and reconnect us to community and celebration.

Why It Works

• Dance breaks stress: Just 10 minutes of dancing can reset mood and energy.

• Music heals: Singing along or listening to uplifting songs lowers anxiety and boosts resilience.

• Shared joy: Group dance or holiday playlists create connection and belonging.

Try This in Your Unit

• Host a “Holiday Playlist Hour” in the break room—invite staff to add their favorite songs.

• Start a “Dance It Out” micro‑moment: one song, one dance, one smile before or after a shift.

• Encourage nurses to use music as a mindfulness tool—headphones, playlists, or even humming during charting.Sign your hospital up to join our national Dance It Out event in May 2026 to celebrate Nurses Month. Email your contact info and hospital name, city & state to info@powerupnursing with the subject line: Let’s Dance

✨ Joy doesn’t erase stress, but it transforms it. This season, let’s make space for music and movement as part of our wellness toolkit.

🍲 Nourishing Recipe: Winter Veggie & Lentil Stew 

A cozy, nutrient-rich dish perfect for post-shift recovery

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced

• ¾ cup green or brown lentils

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp thyme

• 2 cups chopped kale or spinach

• Optional: squeeze of lemon or dollop of yogurt

Instructions:

1. Sauté onion, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms.

2. Add lentils, broth, and spices. Simmer 30–35 minutes.

3. Stir in greens and cook 5 more minutes.

4. Serve warm with crusty bread or over rice.

🍲 Recharge with a bowl of White Chicken Chili—perfect for cozy winter nights!”

A warm, comforting dish that’s simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 lb cooked chicken breast, shredded

• 2 cans (15 oz) white beans, drained

• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp oregano

• ½ tsp chili powder

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened.

3. Stir in shredded chicken, beans, chilies, broth, and spices.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Taste and adjust seasoning.

6. Serve hot with your favorite toppings.

Calm Year End Financial Stress with our Financial First Aid Kit

Power Up Nursing™ has joined forces with MIRAU Capital Management to launch Financial First Aid for Nurses—a national campaign designed to help nurses treat their money with the same care and precision they bring to their patients.

Just as nurses build care maps to guide patient recovery, this initiative empowers them to build “care maps” for financial health—covering income management, debt reduction, savings, investing, and retirement planning.

🔗 Learn more about bringing Financial First Aid for Nurses to your organization—or sign up for your own free Financial CheckUp at: miraucapital.com/power-up

💙 Closing Message: Powering Into the New Year

As we close out 2025, let’s honor the courage, compassion, and creativity that nurses bring to every shift. Let’s end the year with intention—not exhaustion. Power Up Nursing is here to support your teams with wellness, recognition, and strategy that lasts beyond the holidays.

Together, we’re not just closing a chapter—we’re building momentum for what’s next.