Nature: A Post-Pandemic Prescription

The last 2 years created a nursing environment that added new complexities to an already fragile state. As the COVID-19 pandemic started to wane, data began coming out that nurses were experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress. These studies cautiously revealed current pain points, predictions for the future highlighting an ever-shrinking workforce, increases in clinician suicide, and caregiver burnout at all-time highs. As leaders began looking for new solutions, a growing consensus about nature and awe rose to the top, identifying that these experiences transform the stress and struggles of daily living. In the midst and aftermath of the experience of awe, daily personal concerns—small, ordinary events causing anxiety, distress, and pain—seem to diminish in their significance, offering a solution that the nursing profession can adopt to help individuals heal and continue on.