subject: How to reduce stress in Nursing? [print this page] How to reduce stress in Nursing? How to reduce stress in Nursing?
"Stress is harmful to health as it affects the hormones of our body"*, and nurses know this quite well. Caring for patients will almost always be stressful unless nurses learn to consistently and confidently deal with pressure and stress. While nurses provide compassion and reduce suffering for their patients, that is often at the cost of stress and fatigue for themselves.
There are various stress management techniques that can reduce nursing stress to a lot of extent. Here are few things that nurses can do to de-stress themselves:
Plan your day: If you know how your day will be, you can be prepared for all kinds of work pressure coming on your way. This will help reduce your stress.
Schedule time for yourself: Take time out for yourself. Take at least a day off in a week and do what you like doing. Spend time with your family, watch movie, or get a relaxing massage!
Try Yoga therapy: Reduce your stress through Yoga and deep diaphragmatic breathing techniques. There are ways that you can practice Yoga on the job or after working hours. There are various Yoga DVDs available to teach you Yoga techniques and postures for at home and at work.
Adopt healthy habits: Although nurses advice their patients about eating healthy and exercising, they often don't follow this advice for their own betterment. Simply following what you personally know can make a great difference!
Try to resolve workplace issues: If you have any working issues, talk it out with your administrator! If you have any issues such as resource crunch, frequent overtime or over-work on night shifts, bring this to the notice of your hospital administration. Though it may take time to change issues, this is an important first step that is your responsibility as a nurse to take, and doing so often reduces the stress hormones that are building up in your body.
I am pretty sure that nurses know most of the things discussed here which are quite common. They just need to practice this everyday to lead a happy and relaxed life. "Love yourself as you love your patients"!
