About Stress
Stress is defined as a physical, mental, psychological, or
spiritual response to a stressor. A
stressor is an experience in a person-environment relationship that is
evaluated by a person as taxing or exceeding resources and threatening the
sense of well-being. The way people
handle stress varies significantly.
Physical Effects of Stress
Selye’s (1965) General Stress Theory describes the
physiological effects of stress as a group of symptoms, or syndrome, which result
in a fight-or-flight response.
The diagram below shows the body’s initial physiological reaction
to stress.
Prolonged stress causes symptoms such as:
·
Headache
·
Muscle
tension or pain
·
Chest
pain
·
Fatigue
·
Change
in sex drive
·
Stomach
upset
·
Anxiety
·
Restlessness
·
Lack
of motivation or focus
·
Irritability
·
Sadness
or depression
Prolonged stress=BURNOUT
Because nurses are already at high risk for burnout, it is essential
for us to take care of ourselves and effectively cope with stress.
Practical Tips to Reduce
Stress
At work:
·
Assess Use of Time: Start with an honest assessment of what
you do with your time for 1 workday and 1 non-workday. You don’t have to reveal this to anyone but
yourself, but do it.
·
Analyze Stressors: Choose 1 day this week to sit down with a
piece of paper(can be with your computer or laptop) and make two columns. In the first column, list all the things that
cause your stress. It is okay to start
with “Not enough time for…”. Do this
column first. In the second column, list
actions you might take to alleviate the stressors.
·
Make a Change: Analyze your reflections after looking
at the results from tips 1 and 2. Chose
one thing and make a change that will reduce the time spent and ease some of the
stress.
At home:
- Remain phsyically active
- Get adequate sleep
- Eat well-balanced meals
- Meditate
- Do things you enjoy
Huber,
D. (2010). Leadership and nursing care management (4th ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier
Mayo Clinic. (2013). Stress symptoms: Effects on your body, feelings, and behavior. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-symptoms/SR00008_D
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