A reflective commitment to wellbeing for every healthcare professional across primary, secondary, community and emergency care.
Every January (and throughout the rest of the year), the healthcare system encourages us to set visible goals such as completing mandatory training, attending recommended CPD courses, preparing for appraisals, meeting service targets and contributing to organisational priorities. These are the resolutions that appear in e‑portfolios, supervision notes and annual reviews.
But beneath those healthcare goals lie another layer of personal goals, which are quieter, private and often far more transformative. These goals are the resolutions that shape how we show up as nurses, doctors, General Practitioners (GPs), Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs), midwives, paramedics, healthcare support workers, physician associates, mental health practitioners and every other professional who contributes to patient care within the healthcare system.
In 2026, I am choosing to honour the quiet resolutions as a travel health nurse. The resolutions no one will ever see, but which will help sustain my compassion, my professionalism and my humanity. Below are my goals, which I have set for 2026 and perhaps they will inspire you to reflect on your own.
So, let’s get into it:
Healthcare professionals are trained to communicate with clarity, empathy and respect, yet we rarely extend that same compassion inward. Our internal critic can be relentless:
“You should have done more. You should have known that. You should be coping better.”
But the evidence is clear. Workforce burnout remains widespread across the NHS and other healthcare sectors. The NHS Staff Survey reports that emotional exhaustion and burnout remain highest in clinical roles, with ambulance, mental health, acute services and medical staff among the most affected. NHS Employers highlight that chronic workload pressures continue to drive stress and burnout across the workforce. The Queen’s Nursing Institute sheds a light on stress that has increased among district nurses and general practice nurses. Skills for Care report high emotional strains in adult social care and The Independent Healthcare Providers Network shows similar pressures in private hospitals.
So this year, I am changing the way I speak to myself.
I will:
This aligns with the Nursing and Midwifery Code of Conduct (NMC) and The Health and Care Professions Council Standards (HCPC),which emphasise kindness, respect and wellbeing.
In every sector I have worked in, which includes primary care, hospitals and community teams, I have found myself over‑explaining, justifying myself and apologising, trying to people please other team members to show them I’m doing enough or going above and beyond.
But over explaining myself was often a symptom of stress, fear of judgement and being based in a work culture where scrutiny felt constant throughout the day.
Professional standards ask us to be open and honest and not to doubt ourselves.
So in 2026, I’m choosing to trust my judgement with more certainty and clarity.
I will:
By being more assertive in my judgement, it can allow me to not build up internal stress.
I’ve spent years pushing through the heavy workload. I would stay late on shifts when I was due to be back in on early shifts the next morning, I would skip breaks to help other staff members who were struggling but then see them adamant to take their breaks and I would absorb all the work-based pressures, telling myself others are more deserving of support than myself. The healthcare sector has long been shaped by a culture of coping.
The NHS Health and Wellbeing Framework emphasises that staff wellbeing is essential for safe care and that organisations must create environments where staff feel able to seek support early. NHS Employers reinforces that asking for help is a professional responsibility, not a weakness and it is so important for us to remember that.
This year, I’m choosing to ask for help early.
I will:
The RCN, GMC, HCPC, and NHS England all emphasise that seeking support protects both staff and patients.
The healthcare sector can be a fast-paced environment. Whether you are based in GP surgeries, delegating in A&E departments, making a community visit to a patient’s home, assisting a mental health crisis response, working in a care home or an independent clinic, the pressure to react instantly is constant.
But reacting without pausing can lead to miscommunication, conflict and unnecessary self‑blame.
This year, I’m choosing to pause:
A breath before responding to a distressed or challenging interaction.
A moment before replying to an email that triggers defensiveness.
A beat before assuming the worst about myself or others.
Reflective practice is part of every professional standard including:
By becoming more reflective, I want to feel more grounded and stay human amongst all the chaos. It is a good idea for healthcare professionals to also reflect as we continue through the year.
Burnout isn’t a personal failure. It’s a predictable outcome of chronic workplace stress and the evidence is overwhelming.
In 2026, I’m choosing sustainable habits.
I will:
These points are essential for me to continue providing safe and compassionate care.
Working in the healthcare sector can consume our identity. We become “the nurse,” “the doctor,” “the physio,” “the paramedic,” “the GP,” “the midwife.”
But we are more than our roles.
This year, I am reconnecting with the parts of myself that exist outside of my clinical space.
I want to:
We should remind ourselves that this is not stepping away from our role, it is stepping back into our whole self-outside of the professional workspace.
In every professional code, including NMC, GMC, HCPC, it emphasises the need for compassion, respect and humanity. It is important to note that these values apply to ourselves as much as it does to our patients.
In 2026, I am choosing to accept that I am not perfect.
I will learn how to:
These are the resolutions no one will see. They may not appear in my appraisal and they may not be measured in KPIs. But they will shape the way I show up for myself, my colleagues and my patients.
Your Quiet resolutions matter because the healthcare system needs us not only to be clinically competent but emotionally sustained. Burnout is not inevitable, but it can be preventable with the right support. Because compassionate care begins with compassionate self‑care. And because the future of healthcare depends on the wellbeing of the people who hold it together every single day and that is us.
As healthcare professionals, we should be proud of ourselves for showing up to work each day knowing we are making a difference, not only to other people’s lives, but to our own.
Happy New Year 2026.
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