Ep #155: Rest, Reset, and Refocus: A Holiday Mindset for Nurse Practitioners

Welcome to the Real Deal Nurse Practitioner Club, the podcast for nurses who are ready to pass their boards and thrive in their careers as real deal nurse practitioners. I’m Anna and I’m the Director of Nursing Content at Blueprint Test Prep. Whether you’re deep in exam prep or stepping into practice, I’ve got you. It is time to become the confident, knowledgeable NP that you’re meant to be. Let’s dive in. 

Hey, hey everyone. Welcome back. It’s Anna here. And if you’re listening to this on the day it releases, it is the day before Christmas. So, first of all, happy holidays to all of you, whether you’re relaxing with your family, maybe you’re working a shift, maybe you’re cramming and wrapping all the presents, or maybe you’re sneaking in another study session and you’ve got your cup of hot chocolate. But no matter what you’re doing, I just want to say you have made it through this year, and that is absolutely something that’s worth celebrating.

Today’s episode is going to be short and just all about balance. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean that our prep or our schoolwork ends. But we do still want to be able to enjoy the holidays and keep our mindset strong as we head into the new year full of resolutions and goals and, yes, possibly exams.

But let’s just start with this. If you have been in school, if you’ve been working, maybe you’re juggling family or all of the unexpected hurdles that life throws at you, and you’re still managing to show up, you’re doing enough. All of those are huge accomplishments in themselves. So, so many of you tell me that you feel guilty taking a day off. But I say it all the time here, rest is a part of the process. When you rest, your brain consolidates what you’ve learned. You literally retain more when you give yourself that permission to pause.

So this holiday season, give yourself that gift. Put those flash cards down for a day. Close the laptop, go watch Elf or Christmas with the Kranks, which are definitely repeats in my family. Go bake cookies, go take a walk, or just be. You don’t need to earn rest, and you don’t need to earn taking care of yourself.

Now, as we turn the page toward a new year, everyone is thinking about resolutions. I kind of hate the phrase “New Year, New You” though, because yes, it’s going to be a new year, it’s going to be 2026. But you are still the same awesome you. You’re still showing up. You’re graduating NP school. You’re prepping for boards. So yes, have the resolution to become a real deal NP this year, or to start that first NP job, or whatever your goals are. It’s great to have those tangible goals to work towards.

But if you’ve graduated nursing school, if you’ve started NP school, if you are here just listening to this episode, you already have what it takes. So maybe your resolution isn’t to study more, but it’s just to study smarter. Maybe you just need to create more consistent habits. Or a personal recommendation, maybe your goal is to stop comparing your progress to others.

You might even want to shift the mindset from, “I have to pass, like, I just have to pass,” to, “You know what? I have worked so hard to get here. I will pass, and I will get to become the provider that I’ve worked so hard to be.” And that mindset shift is really, really powerful. It can turn that anxiety into positivity and purpose. And that can really get you through those long practice exams or through studying whatever topic it is that you keep putting off.

I also just really love the energy this time of year, right? We have this big mix of reflection and motivation for the new year. So if you are feeling that spark, channel it. Remember, write down those tangible goals for January. But make them kind and make them realistic. We’re not going to write down that your goal is to study six hours every single night. But instead, you could say, “You know what, I’m going to set a 45-minute focus block a few times a week.” Right, we are not being perfect here. We’re just going to show up consistently.

Now, I also want you to just take a moment while listening and reflect back on your nursing journey. Really think about why you’re here. The holidays are a great time to remember why we’re doing this in the first place. Most of you are not just studying for boards to pass a test. You are doing it because you care about people, because you want to serve, you want to help, or you want to make a difference. 

So take this time to reconnect with that and use that as motivation. Channel that going into the new year. And really let yourself feel proud of how far you’ve come, not just in nursing school, not just in your studying or in your new job, but really how far you’ve come as a person.

So as you head into these holidays and the new year, I just want to leave you with this thought. You can rest and you can still be on the right track. You can pause and you are still making progress. Your brain needs to pause. And remember, you can enjoy the holidays and still become a real deal NP very soon. This is me giving you permission. So give yourself the permission to pause and take a breath and take a break, and then get back at it.

Happy holidays. Merry Christmas tomorrow for all of you who celebrate. And thank you for letting us at SMNP Reviews be a part of your journey. We will be back in the new year with more high-yield content, with board prep tips and encouragement to get you through this next chapter, as well as plenty of episodes for you new real deal NPs as well.

But for now, close the books, grab something warm to drink, and just take a deep breath. You’ve got this.

Thanks for listening to another episode of the Real Deal Nurse Practitioner Club. If you want more information  about the different types of support that we offer to students and new nurse practitioners, you can visit npreviews, with an S, dot com. We’ll see you next week.