BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose significant challenges to the welfare system by stress-related ill health and increased turnover rates among nurses.AimThe aim of this study was to explore nurses' lived experiences of stress in the transformed caring reality during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methodological Design and JustificationCaring theory and phenomenological hermeneutical philosophy guided this interpretative study. Findings comprise a broadened understanding of stress experienced by nurses.Ethical Issues and ApprovalEthical approval was granted from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. All participants provided informed consent to participate beforehand.Research MethodIn-depth audio recorded interviews with 13 nurses were performed and transcribed verbatim. Analysis was guided by the three steps of Lindseth and Norberg: naïve understanding, structural thematic analysis and comprehensive understanding.ResultsIn this study, one main theme Enduring the unbearable emerged, and was illuminated in the major themes: Being deprived of the caring self; Seeing self-neglect as the way forward and Feeling vulnerable and unsupported. The interpreted meaning of nurses' lived experiences of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic accommodates the dilemma of enduring the unbearable whilst being subjected to silencing one's inner ethical, caring compass.ConclusionsThe results underscore the substantial and persistent stress related health risks nurses faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasise the necessity of integrating ethical considerations into policies designed to support nurses' health in future emergencies.