STRESS IN NURSING
In the first part of this series, Is Nursing All About Stress?, we looked at the definitions of stress, stressor, emotions and feelings. We also looked at some of the statistics on the causes of stress in nursing, the negative effects on the body and mind and how emotional and mental reactivity to stressors and stress can perpetuate the stress that we experience.
In the second part of the series, we’ll look at why we become stressed and begin to explore ways to stop our habit of “stressing out.”
WHY WE STRESS
I think that there’s been enough written in nursing about the positive and negative ways that we can deal with stress. And I’ve probably practiced all of them, the good AND the bad.
When you take time to think about it, so many times in nursing, it’s the “how” of what we’re doing that matters most. For instance, during a very busy shift, when we don’t have a lot of time to spend with all of our patients because one or two heavy patients are taking up all of our time, it’s how we are with our other patients, – our presence, our attention, and our focus – that can make those patients feel like they still matter and are important to us.
