Stress and Adversity
There is nothing quite as stressful-and certainly, no one is exposed to more emotional duress than the nursing profession. Long shifts, high patient counts, long hours, and life-or-death drama are some of the factors that place additional mental and physical strains on nurses. The burden only in the last few years began to fall on healthcare professionals, but especially in the last few years with the pandemic experienced all over the world, a risk factor increased for nurses’ burnout, anxiety, and depression. However, the process of learning how to perform under stress and adversity- can be a nurse’s resource that enables her to cope with those demands while continuing to give quality patient care.
In reality, resilience is not as strong in the person and probably even more, it could be seen as the ability learned and developed through continuous practice. A nurse can learn how to acquire new techniques on how to better cope with stress and work toward preventing burnout and loss of passion that they once had for their work. Here are some practical tools for building resilience for nurses:
A Support Network
A proper support system, other than the other factors of managing stress, can be the biggest factor. Most nurses note long hours and high tension, and it may get pretty lonely. Second, if patients are broken not only physically but also emotionally, then it makes a nurse frustrated quite easily. Talking to people, colleagues, friends, family, or even a mentor helps loosen some of that tension.
Peer support is highly critical. For someone who feels they can share with other nurses who will understand what stressors they are going through, then it feels less alone and supported. Formal as well as informal support groups allow pathways for expressing emotion as well as the sharing of coping strategies. Working relations must be built with people who can share an understanding of the specific stresses of the job, and those working relations may help in relieving stress and acquiring super advice.
Self-Care Daily
Self-care is one of the components important for the reason that it keeps a body and mind healthy. With constant pressure on the job, the well-being of a person can be easily put aside. There are many acts nurses can do in their lives to put in and generate energy. The first of these is sleep: the nurses have to ensure they get enough rest, eat right, and exercise. Indeed, repeated physical exercise has been shown to decrease stress hormones and increase endorphins which can even optimistically boost a mood and build resilience with time.
But coping strategies may also be fun out-of-work leisure activities-that is, if they’re enjoyable for you: hobbies, time with loved ones, or even a practice of mindfulness. Because taking time for oneself feels like a luxury, yet it builds the energy and mental acuity one needs to care well for others.
Build Resilient, Healthy Coping Strategies
Most of the time, nurses find themselves in situations that require acting emotionally, for example, very sick patients or trauma cases. The way a nurse will respond to such stressors will be what makes the difference when it comes to making him or her resilient. Instead of developing unhealthy coping mechanisms like people do, avoiding emotions or alcohol, nurses should develop healthier alternatives.
Mindfulness is deep breathing to meditation and yoga that help to decrease some of the immediate impacts of stress and contribute to long-term resilience. This allows nurses to have an emotional process in themselves without the negative mood taking over their duties. Cognitive-behavioural skills can be used, for example, reframing negative thoughts so stressful scenarios are put into a more workable light of view.
Another good outlet is journaling. Writing with pen and paper might be cathartic and could allow the person to write down stressors not previously seen. Journals also keep one thinking about the good times experienced during nursing so that the heavier burden presented with negative experiences may be balanced.
There must be intentional strategies to lead the nurse through special stress and lack of support from the nursing profession toward mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This encompasses a good support network, healthy practices of self-care, appropriate and healthy ways of coping, realistic expectations, professional help when needed, continuous learning, and a good work environment to enhance resilience in keeping their commitment to quality patient care. Resilience does not remove stress but is a mechanism by which a person can handle stress and again regain strength in adverse situations.
