With an adaptable and creative approach, we kept as much of our GPN work at the surgery going during the various lockdowns. Much of this has led to a more flexible service for our patients and certainly many respiratory reviews will continue to take place remotely (it was helpful to read how Jude Harford approaches remote paediatric asthma reviews in the journal, pp. 56–61).

This, however, has not prevented the colossal feeling of ‘catch up’ we are now experiencing. Our service is busier than ever, and many people bring extra problems which need signposting, rebooking, or managing within the consultation.

Managing stress is now an integral part of our role. Daily routines can help ensure we remember to be kind to ourselves as well as others. I often reflect on the importance of the simple routines I learnt about from the webinar held by Donna Booth (www.vitality-innersanctum.com). I make sure even in a hectic week that I still take time to enjoy nature, cook something nice or get some exercise.

As nurses we are committed to lifelong learning and, with this in mind, I found the ‘practice matters’ feature about learning styles very interesting to reflect upon from several perspectives: 

• How I help those I teach learn and how much I consider/discuss their learning styles 
• As a writer of educational modules and editor of this journal, how much do I think about different learning styles when bringing together educational content? I now plan to make a note of the styles and think about them in my planning and editing processes 
• What is my own learning style and how much of this is based on convenience (webinars/websites are much easier for me to access because life is busy, but I used to love attending a teaching day or even a conference) and how much is my core learning style?

I found the articles in this issue very helpful again. I think they do often have a conversational style as well as being packed with evidence and useful resources. I enjoyed expanding my understanding about heart failure, as this is often a factor when trying to understand what is causing a patient’s shortness of breath. It was also very useful to get a clear update on analgesic prescribing. I often find it’s the simple things like explaining why it’s better to take paracetamol regularly, rather than as required, that helps in people with chronic pain.

I hope you all find ways to use simple routines to relax and look after yourselves as summer begins to fade and we prepare ourselves for an uncertain winter. As a profession, we are known for our caring attitude and also our resourcefulness and resilience.

Jaqui Walker, editor-in-chief