How To Manage Stress As A Healthcare Worker

Working in healthcare is a rewarding and noble career. Nurses, doctors, and other staff who enter the medical field often work long hours that are both physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding.

Healthcare workers often find themselves tired and experience burnout from long shifts, dealing with staffing shortages, and a heavy patient load. As a medical professional, you need to have effective techniques that help reduce stress in your life.

We have created a list of helpful strategies to help with stress reduction after a long nursing shift. Check out our website for more information. 

Symptoms of Stress

Everyone deals with stress differently, and you likely have found yourself saying “I am stressed” during or after a shift. Regardless of the department you are working in, you are most likely experiencing a certain amount of stress. Symptoms of stress and anxiety can include:

• Feeling unusually emotional over even the most minor things
• Feeling of being out of control or helplessness
• Feeling exhausted and not being able to recover or never feeling well-rested
• Feeling mentally foggy, unable to make decisions or solutions, and making simple mistakes
• A sense of worry that does not go away
• Being overly snappy or aggressive
• Avoiding people or situations
• Procrastinating or putting off jobs and other things you need to do

If you find yourself experiencing some or all of these symptoms, it would be helpful to incorporate some of these stress-relieving techniques.

11 Stress-Reducing Techniques

1. Resting Between Shifts

Make sure you get adequate rest in between your shifts. Sleep reduces stress, maintains clarity, and refreshes your body, mind, and spirit.

2. Ask For Advice

Most of your coworkers have likely experienced similar feelings, and asking some of them for ideas on coping with your stress may be helpful.

While you may get various responses from “get used to it” and will also most likely receive a valuable piece of advice, it is worth hearing how others in your position as a nurse cope with stress.

3. Physical Activity

Nurses experience heavy workloads, both physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding. Exercise is one way to help maintain a healthy weight, improve your heart health, and relieve stress. Yoga, running, walking, or any other physical movement has significantly reduced healthcare workers' stress and anxiety.

4. Practice Helpful Breathing Techniques

A long deep breath with a slow exhale has been shown to help calm people and relax feelings of anxiety or stress. If you are feeling stressed, take a minute to take a deep breath to help you slow down and think more clearly.

5. Talk To Someone

Sometimes you just need to talk to someone and release your frustrations. Whether you see a counselor or therapist regularly or just as required, speaking with an unbiased professional may help you find peace and navigate difficult emotions and experiences.

6. Creative Activities

Whether you like to paint, play music, dance, or another creative outlet, giving yourself time to utilize creativity is a perfect way to work through emotions and reduce stress.

7. Prioritize Your Self Care And Needs

All humans have needs, even nurses, and ensuring that your needs are met is critical. Medical professionals are in the role of caregivers, and it is common for them to neglect their own needs and self-care. Ensure you get proper rest, healthy, nutritious meals, exercise, and time off to unplug from work altogether.

8. Support From A Partner Or Friend

Ask for help from someone you trust and who is available to offer support to you. Whether you need help with house cleaning, grocery shopping, or chores around the house, it can be a tremendous source of relief and help reduce stress in your life.

9. Spiritual Support

Whether religious or not, spiritual support can benefit your mental health through prayer, meditation, or time in nature. Regardless of your beliefs, spiritual coping is a helpful way to deal with the emotional and mental stress of being a nurse or doctor.

10. Journaling

Writing is a great way to work through thoughts and emotions and can be done anywhere. If you need relief, take a few minutes each day to write down things you are grateful for, challenging experiences, or whatever may be bothering you, and allow yourself to write whatever comes to mind.

11. Be Comfortable At Work

As a nurse, you spend many hours in your uniform. While this may seem like a no-brainer, things like comfortable shoes, quality scrubs that fit correctly, compression socks to help reduce leg fatigue, and other necessary accessories can help ensure that your basic essential uniform needs are met.

At Blue Sky Scrubs, We Have You Covered!

Check out our wide selection of high-quality scrubs online for men and women, compression socks for nurses and doctors, and accessories like surgical caps, lab coats, and jackets to help ensure you are comfortable and look professional while you work. We understand the stress that goes along with being a healthcare worker.

Contact us today at Blue Sky Scrubs, and we will help you find the best scrubs for you.