The nursing career gives rise to huge amounts of stress. There’s the daily shift rotation, demanding patients, emergencies, coping with job demands and pressure from doctors and head nurses and so on. A day in a nurse’s life is filled with many stress-causing factors. In fact, the ability to deal positively with stress is one of the most desirable qualities that hospitals look for when they interview nurses.
This article provides stress management tips for nurses, along with some stress relief techniques.
Exercise Regularly
As a nurse, you’ll need high levels of energy that’ll see you through your day. You cannot afford to get fatigued in the middle, or your performance will suffer. You have to be extremely fit in order to be on your feet the whole day, managing multiple tasks and answering emergencies. The trick to stay fit is to exercise regularly; exercise floods your body with feel good hormones called endorphins. These hormones keep you positive and cheerful through your day, helping you deal with any additional stress that comes by.
Follow A Healthy Diet
Who better than a nurse to know the value of a healthy diet? Doctors and nurses know everything there is to know about eating well; the problem is, they don’t usually have the time to eat well. To compensate for the lack of nutrition during work hours, like all people, nurses also binge sometimes when they finally reach home.
To avoid this situation, follow the tips given below:
- Make your breakfast a hearty meal. The breakfast is supposed to be the fullest meal of the day, since the body processes the food all day long. Eat porridge with fruit, and throw some nuts and dried fruit into it. Try eating an omelet, or a whole-wheat sandwich with meat and vegetables. With a sturdy breakfast in your belly, your body won’t run out of energy even if you happen to miss lunch.
- Choose whole grain breads, potatoes, rice, fruit, pasta and other carbohydrate-rich foods for your lunch.
- Always keep a stock of energy bars, apples and bananas at your work desk or in your bag. If you are not able to take a full lunch break, keep hunger at bay with these high-energy foods. This way, your body will have enough energy to deal with the pressures of your day and you’ll stay energized.
- Drink plenty of water. Water dissolves impurities and toxins in your body, which add to your stress. Keep the body well hydrated and you’ll enjoy a clearer mental faculty and greater physical flexibility during your workday.
Visualize Stress Busting Images
When you are stressed out, take a moment to breathe out and visualize yourself in various situations, dealing with your stress.
Try some of the following tips:- Imagine that you are in a green lakeside park surrounded by beautiful, sweet-smelling flowers, enjoying cool breezes. Imagine that you don’t have a single care in the world and all you have to do is relax. This image will make you smile and relax your tight muscles. You’ll feel more calm and settled after this visualization.
- Imagine that the stress is leaving your body and is flowing into the ground. You can imagine the stress as great big worms, or roots, or even as liquid. The important thing is to let your tension sink into your ground. When you snap out of your visualization, feel that your stress is completely gone.
- Imagine that you’re surrounded by mirrors. Reflect your stress and sick feeling from the mirrors. When you snap out of it, you should feel relaxed.
- Imagine you are on holiday with your family or your partner. Imagine all the fun things you’ll do together, the shopping you’ll do, the events you’ll attend and the clothes you’ll wear. Tackle your stresses at the root level by making yourself feel good.
Speak Positive Affirmations To Yourself
When you face a stressful situation or person, instead of reacting, smile and tell yourself that you are feeling good. Tell yourself that the other person cannot affect you in any way. If it’s a stressful situation, tell yourself that you can easily handle this and more. Everything passes, and your stressful day also will pass; your stressful confrontation with your head nurse will also pass.
The important thing is to look beyond the situation and let go of the stress without carrying it around with you the whole day like unwanted baggage.
Reward Yourself For Dealing Positively With Stress
Promise yourself a reward when a tough stressful job is completed. Stay away from this reward till the job is over, and do not cheat. Your reward could be an additional energy bar, or a piece of chocolate, or a few extra minutes with some favorite hobby or activity.
The important thing is that your reward should mean something to you. Face your stressful task with a smile, and keep the reward in the front of your mind.
