Stress is the number one enemy of being a nurse and nursing is a job that requires a sufficient amount of energy on many levels. You need to know how to handle stress in nursing and how to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
The following suggestions will help:
1. Write it down.
Writing in a journal can help you identify any problems you may not have noticed before. Journaling can help relieve stress. As a result, you can then think about the best way to approach these situations and move on. Writing will also allow you to get your creative juices flowing. Think of a notebook as a way to release built up energy and pent up creativity. You can write poetry, letters, short stories – anything to make you feel better.
2. Get some sun.
The sun produces endorphins which make you feel happy. I’m not advocating that you should sit outside and bake, but applying sunscreen to block the harmful rays and then taking a stroll so that you get the benefits of vitamin D will help. Take a walk on the beach, in a park, any sort of environment where you can get some sunlight and fresh air will relax you and.
3. Discuss it aloud.
A third party perspective can be amazing when you want to understand why your life is so overwhelming. Discuss your problems with a friend, therapist or nursing coworker. The fact that someone is listening and paying attention to you will help. They may not have the answers, but sometimes getting things off your chest can help you feel much better. Also, you may be able to think about things differently once you have said them out loud. You may realize that life is not that hard after all.
4. Indulge yourself.
Sometimes it is necessary to forget all of your troubles in the moment. You can beat nursing stress by indulging in a little personal time such as getting a pedicure, going to see a movie, or going shopping if buying clothes and shoes make you feel better. Others find running very useful in relieving tension and yoga to be incredibly relaxing. Whatever you enjoy doing, try to do it more often to take your mind off of the issues that are causing you to feel stressed.
Nurses, find what makes you happy to be alive. Then, you can forget your troubles for a little bit. When you come back to reality, you will have calmed down and be ready to approach things with a new perspective.
In order to get over feeling overwhelmed, you need to just learn to relax. You cannot conquer the world in a day. Also, you cannot expect all of your problems to be fixed right away. If you learn to relax and think about things before reacting, then you will be much more prepared to take on anything that comes your way.
Once you learn to master your emotions, then you will be able to enjoy life day to day. You are not expected to fix the world problems. Thus, do not feel like everything, especially stress in nursing, is crashing down around you.
Experiencing some stress in nursing is healthy, however too much is always bad. Share your tips to our colleagues here.