Balancing Stress and Conserving Energy

Balancing Stress and Conserving Energy

All nurses can agree that nursing is one the most stressful and emotionally charged professions. With angry patients, demanding family members, difficult co-workers, and the occasional upset physician, nurses have to create and develop ways to keep the energy up and the stress down if they plan to make a lifelong career in nursing. From sharing stories and swapping experiences to spending a day at the spa, there are several ways to best relieve stress and unload the emotional burden.  Many times just stepping out of a hectic environment, taking a real break, or even eating lunch can help alleviate the stress. It is undeniable nurses, including fresh, bright nursing graduates need to develop coping mechanisms quickly if they want to prevent painful burnout and continue to be passionate about nursing.

Answer the questions below and describe what specifics you do to keep your energy up and stress to a minimum?

1.    Name something you do in general to keep your energy up?

2.    What do you do at work to maintain a healthy life style?

3.    Share something you do to relieve stress?

4.    What’s your take on taking breaks?

5.    Specifically, how do you feed and pump up your emotional inner self?

6.    Specifically, how do you feed and pump up your spiritual inner self?

7.    When the environment is stressful and you're about lose it, what’s your next action?

8.    How do you keep your attitude in check?

9.    If you have you come close to burning out, how did you recover?

10.   Any tips for taking care of your back?

 

Comments

[Aimee Dinwoodie]

Water, water, water. Make sure you take time to stay hydrated. When you do this, you think clearer and feel less fatigued at the end of those hectic days. Also, bring foods that are easy to eat quickly for those times when you only have 5 minutes to grab something quick. Granola bars, mixed nuts, greek yogurt- the more protein the longer it lasts you. Also, just taking a quick walk off the unit (even if it's just 5 mins) helps greatly. I often offer to run to pharmacy for coworkers just to get a change of scenery.

I work in a very busy ED, so the environment is always VERY stressful, so it's easy to get emotional, get an attitude, or just freak out. Find a coworker that you can vent with. Sometimes talking about your frustrations in a place where pt's aren't going to hear, can help to relieve some of the stress. Also, making a quick list of tasks based on priority/importance helps to bring things back into focus. Delegate. It's okay to ask for help and admit that you feel overwhelmed. Believe me, I'm the first to ask for help when I need it!

Keeping my attitude in check is, surprisingly, hard. Nobody liked to be yelled at and berated. As nurses I believe we're subject to more verbal abuse than any politician could ever dream of receiving. It's important to remember that (most) patients are sick and may not realize how rude they are being, and that their families are trying to cope with the illness. It won't always make you feel better immediately to remember that nobody REALLY wants to be in the hospital, patient or family members, but after you get the chance to calm down you may realize this fact... There's many days that I get so frustrated with pt's and/or family members that, though I'm polite to the pt and their family at bedside, I'm clenching my teeth when I leave the room. I try to engage the family members and make them feel a part of my team, like they have some control over the situation. I often explain what I'm doing and why to families and the pt, when the family is at bedside, because that helps them to see that I'm trying to do what's best for their loved one. And for those occasions where a pt or family member is really out of control, I politely set boundries. It's okay to ask for respect and to tell someone when they are being inappropriate. For example: I had a pt's family member call me a very ugly and demeaning name the other day and I asked them in a calm voice to refrain from using such profanity and if they could not do that I was going to have to ask them to leave. I also had to set boundries with a pt that spit his medication out on the floor because he didn't like the way it tasted. The pt is a fully competent 19y/o adult. After letting him know that was not appropriate, he apologized and the rest of the day he was great. It's okay to stand up for yourself, if you do it in a respectful and calm manner. It won't work 100% of the time, but you'd be surprised how often it does. I am!

I've only been a nurse for 2 years, but I've come close to burning out many times already! One thing I did was change units to find a better fit for me. I worked on a surgical floor to begin with and was miserable (though I loved me coworkers), but after changing to the ED it's much better. There's always those days when I think "why did I want to do this?," but those are few and far between. Also, set goals to help keep the profession interesting. There are so many certificates and certifications and educational oppertunities available. Take advantage of them! Also, get involved with your unit. I've become a member of a couple different committee's, which have helped to become engaged with my unit.

How do I preserve my back? There's days when I want to ask myself "why didn't I try to preserve my back?" Proper body mechanics is a must. Use your legs to lift. Always get help to move pt's up in bed and don't work against gravity. One thing I love about ED stretchers is how easy it is to get someone in trandelenburg's position- making it so much easier to pull a pt up! Also, stretch regularly and get exercise outside of work. It helps to keep the back muscles strong and flexible and reduces the chance of injuries.

Hope this helps. Sorry it's so long, but this is just a little of what I wish I was told!

Permission to use my name with anything I post.

[Suzie]

Nurses often find it difficult to take regular breaks. A common opinion is that breaking away even for 15 minutes or so will only put you further behind at the end of the shift. This really is a misconception, because getting away from your unit is the only way to decompress from the constant demands that we face as nurses. I remember as a new nurse, I never wanted to leave my patients or my unit to take even a short break or mealtime. Now I realize it is the best way to get reenergized. Eating a good mid-shift meal gives you an extra boost for the remainder of the day. You'll be relaxed and more ready to handle whatever comes your way.
Also, nurses and other staff members need to look after one another to make sure everyone
gets a break. Offer up front to cover your co-worker's assignment while they get away from the floor. Handle what you can for them while they are away. This is best for patient care and co-worker courtesy.

[Felli/kris]

as a night shift worker, i make it a common practice to freshen up the hair and makeup before the day shift, families, and doctors come in and see me. By freshening up you feel good about yourself and don't look so abused.

[Marketing Dissertation]

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