Acute stress is a concern for nurses. After all, they frequently work long, irregular hours in busy settings while providing care for numerous patients, and at times the situation is genuinely life-or-death. Summing up the considerable stress that Covid-19 outrage brought, this situation has become a worldwide epidemic.
Over 60% of nurses report emotional exhaustion, and about half of all nurses report moderate to severe stress, according to research. And that doesn’t just apply to one nation; nurses are stressed out everywhere, including Iran, New Zealand, Australia, and the US.
What is Nurse Burnout?
Nurse burnout is a phenomenon that occurs when the stress of the job results in physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, nurse burnout affects the majority of nurses at some time in their employment. In fact, a startling 95% of the thousands of nurses who took part from all over the country said they had experienced burnout in their nursing employment within the previous three years.
On a daily basis, nurses are exposed to excruciating pain, emotional and physical anguish, and death. Even the most emotionally stable nurses become overwhelmed by these more demanding aspects of their jobs. On the bright side of things, you still are able to have a successful nursing profession if you figure out what causes your burnout and know how to manage and ultimately prevent nurse burnout.
Nurse Stress: Causes
Burnout in nurses occur for a number of reasons, here are the main causes:
Lack of sleep
One of the most important burnout hazards for working professionals in any business is a chronic lack of sleep. Nursing professionals frequently experience sleep deprivation because of their long hours and back-to-back shifts.
Long hours
Along with the various viral outbreaks over the years and the ensuing rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases, there is a greater need for nurses. Unfortunately, a lot of hospitals are struggling to meet the rising demand for nurses, which has led to many nurses working even more hours and raising the risk of burnout.
High-Stress Setting
Working in the emergency room or intensive care unit, for instance, involves handling aggressive individuals, catastrophic injuries, moral quandaries, and high death rates. Therefore, high levels of stress and increased burnout result from these situations.
4 Ways to Manage Nursing Stress at Work
If stress is not managed, it transforms into mental health issues like depression or anxiety as well as physical illnesses like high blood pressure or insomnia. Fortunately, there are some strategies that nurses could implement to manage stress in order to enhance their general health and stay active in their jobs:
Determine and Monitor Individual Stressors
What circumstances, people, or factors increase a person’s level of personal stress? By maintaining a conscious note and signaling the days when they feel unusually stressed and the situations contributing to that emotion, nurses are able to uncover personal stressors. Nursing professionals often find avoidance or mitigation techniques by identifying individual stressors. For instance, when nurses observe that they have increased levels of stress on days when they eat a later lunch. A few protein bars or office snacks reduce stress brought on by hunger.
Spend some time recharging
Making time for self-care is a crucial part of managing nurse stress at work. Specifically, after particularly long shifts or demanding work weeks, nurses need to schedule time to rest. This entails staying up late, taking a leisurely stroll, or drinking tea and reading a good book.
Additionally, nurses must prioritize regular me-time, for example signing up for yoga, and meditation sessions.
Recognize what is and is not under your control
Recognizing what is under your control and what is not is yet another essential step in reducing nurse stress at work. Nurses, for instance, are sometimes not able to regulate the lengthy hours they put in. However, they need to take breaks for their mental health during a lengthy shift and then schedule some time for self-care. Additionally, although nurses can’t always pick their coworkers, they could decide to interact with them simply and effectively.
Continue to eat healthy and exercise
Finally, having a healthy diet and frequent exercise helps nurses avoid stress. Poor nutrition frequently arises from stress. Fast food is quick, and hormones related to stress makes people crave these fatty, salty, or sweet items. The strategies listed below help you enhance a healthy diet when under pressure:
– Before beginning a shift, consuming a healthy and satisfying lunch
– Bringing in nutritious snacks rather than relying on fast food or vending machines while at work
– Choose green tea instead of coffee
– Drinking lots of water all day long rather than soda or juice
Regular exercise is also a fun and successful stress-reduction strategy. Endorphins, or “feel good” hormones, are released during exercise and help with anxiety and sadness. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to decompress and combat some of the negative bodily impacts of stress, such as elevated blood sugar and an unhealthful heart rate.
Although stress is a normal aspect of life, some professions present special difficulties. A good example is nursing. However, nurses can actively manage and reduce their own stress using the correct techniques, which makes their careers particularly gratifying. If you are looking for a nursing job where your boss is conscious of the workload and of your mental health, check out our open positions or call us for assistance. We are here for you.
About Phaxis
Founded in 2002, Phaxis is now one of the country’s leading recruitment firms. Specializing in healthcare, information technology, accounting, financial services recruitment, office support, legal, HR, and marketing, Phaxis partners with highly qualified talent and top employers to create rewarding career opportunities that result in long-term success for candidates and employers. Visit us at www.phaxis.com.
