A curated guide to evidence-based tools for nurse well-being and emotional resilience. At The Nursing Lens, we believe storytelling and emotional support are inseparable in the healing professions.
In alignment with the American Nurses Foundation’s Nurse Well-Being Initiative, this page provides access to powerful tools that help nurses assess, manage, and communicate their own stress and recognize signs of stress injury in others. These tools are designed not just for self-awareness, but to foster peer support, psychological safety, and leadership accountability.
This isn’t just a resource hub. It’s an integral part of our contributor onboarding process. Whether you’re submitting an article, sharing photography, or reviewing clinical content, you’ll be asked to complete the Nurse Well-Being Training listed below.
Don’t worry, it can take you anywhere from 90-180 minutes to complete depending how focused you are. But it's 90-180 minutes that matter. Time spent learning this framework could help a nurse stay in the profession. It could normalize open conversations about stress at work. And we truly believe it could keep a nurse from hurting themselves or others.
Below are essential tools and resources curated and in alignment with the American Nurses Foundation's Nurse Well-Being Initiative. Each designed to support emotional health, peer connection, and a sustainable nursing practice.
American Nurses Foundation's Nurse Well-Being Resources
These are curated emotional health tools created by and for nurses. The ANF resource library includes:
Mental health hotlines
Podcasts
Gratitude Toolkits
Suicide Prevention and Resilience guides
Peer support toolkits
Links to professional treatment centers
Take me to the ANF's Nurse Well-Being Resources
Nurse Well-Being Training (Required for Volunteers/Contributors)
As part of our contributor process, we ask all writers, reviewers, and media producers to complete the American Nurses Foundation’s FREE Nurse Well-Being Training. This training introduces you to the Stress First Aid model, a peer-support system adapted from military and first responders- now tailored for nursing environments.
The training Includes:
Course Preview
Full Course
Supplemental Leadership Module
Facilitator Training
Downloadable Implementation Guide
Note: Users must complete ANF’s course evaluation to receive their Certificate of Completion, which you will also submit with your application for Volunteer Writer or Reviewer through our application portal.
Take me to the Nurse Well-Being Training
Stress Self-Assessment Tool
This anonymous, free tool lets you assess your current level of stress using the Stress Continuum Model. After answering a brief series of questions, you’ll receive personalized suggestions based on where you fall on the continuum- from thriving to severely impacted.
It’s quick, honest, and immediately actionable. You don’t need to sign up or create an account.
Take the FREE Stress Self-Assessment
Watch:
Tools for Building Peer and Leadership Support
NURSES LEAD WELL-BEING ACROSS THE NATION
This short video by the American Nurses Foundation illustrates how nurses are using the color coded Stress Continuum Tool to normalize dialogue about stress allowing them to connect with their team members to support one another.
TOOLS FOR BUILDING PEER AND LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
This 30 minute video explains how nurses can register for the Nurse Well-Being Program and access the FREE training modules. It also explains the importance of selecting appropriate champions to help implement the stress first aid program on your units. The program encourages nurses to be comfortable talking about their own stress and burnout, and utilize the tools provided, such as the color-coded Stress Continuum tool. 90% of the nurses using the tool found the tool easy to use and there was a 28% decrease in burnout among nurses enrolled in the pilot program after six months.
NCSBN CEO Talks About the 2024 Nursing Workforce Study
In this video, Phil Dickison, CEO of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), discusses the troubling state of the nursing workforce in 2024. He highlights that over 138,000 nurses have left the profession due to stress and burnout- and warns that 40% of nurses intend to leave within the next five years.
Dickison stresses that recovery requires more than surface-level fixes. He calls for multi-faceted, sustainable solutions, including mental health support, de-escalation training, and a deeper look at the systemic causes of nurse attrition beyond the pandemic.
Most importantly, he urges healthcare leaders to listen to nurses and involve them directly in the creation of solutions, instead of relying on top-down mandates.
Dickison’s message is more than a warning- it’s a call to action.
"And my argument is we need to be better as leaders, listening before we act, listening to these voices of the nurses before we invoke solutions. Bring them to the tables so that we can hear them..."
Phil Dickison
CEO, National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Watch the full interview here.
