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Employers can tackle stress in the workplace by doing a risk assessment via
questionnaires or small group discussions to determine steps necessary to reduce nursing
stressors. Once the results from the assessments have been reviewed, immediate change should
take place. This can include organizational change, new work-shift patterns, etc. Employers
should also provide their nurses a staff support system, stress management training and policies
on managing stress. Examples of good practice include providing readily accessible counseling,
access to locations to exercise, etc.
Coping Mechanisms For Nurses
Nurses, as individuals, can also take steps to alleviate their own stress in positive ways
such as managing their lifestyle, managing their personal work environment, thinking
realistically and optimistically, identifying stressors in their lives, relaxing, exercising, having a
support system, counseling and utilizing medical interventions. Some stress management
activities suggested by The Help Guide include 1.) avoiding unnecessary stress, 2.) altering the
situation, 3.) accepting the things you cannot change 4.) adapting to the stressor and 5.) taking
care of personal needs. (http://www.helpguide.or/mental/stress_management_ relief-coping.)
Avoiding unnecessary stress is comprised of learning how to say no, avoiding people who
produce stress, taking control of the environment, avoiding controversial topics and reducing the
to-do list. Altering the situation, consists of being more assertive in dealing with problems and
managing time better. Accepting the things you cannot change, such as the death of a patient,
places the focus on things that can be controlled, looking at the situation positively and learning
to forgive. Adapting to the stressor involves changing ones own mindset by looking at problems
from a positive perspective instead of demanding perfection. Taking the time to care for ones
personal self should be viewed as a necessity instead of a luxury. Simply getting adequate sleep,
connecting with supportive people, spending time on hobbies, keeping a sense of humor,
exercising, eating healthy and avoiding alcohol, smoking and drugs are examples of making
healthy lifestyle choices that nurses ought to make. Since each nurse is an individual and views
stress uniquely, this may require experimenting with different strategies to focus on what stress
coping methods best work for them.
Foureur (2013) states mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR) is an effective strategy
to achieve stress reduction. Simply put, mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness. It is
cultivated by purposefully paying attention to things we ordinarily never give a moments
thought to. It is a systematic approach to developing new kinds of control and wisdom in our
lives, based on our inner capacities for relaxation, paying attention, awareness and insight
(Foureur, 2013, p. 115). By following the MBSR daily practice made up of daily meditation,
repertoire of strategies for the mind in the day to day, forming habits of daily mindful practice,
one can increase health, sense of coherence to life and decrease depression, anxiety and stress.
Conclusion
Nursing is a very physically and emotionally demanding profession that may cause
nurses to burn out. To keep stress from developing into burnout, nurses need effective coping
strategies to process their experiences (Peterson, 2010, p. 437). By developing a personal plan
utilizing any or all of the coping mechanisms to help deal with stress more effectively, nurses can
then provide better care for the individual patient, their families as well as themselves.
References
Chipas, A., Cordrey, D., Floyd, D., Grubbs, L., Miller, S. & Tyre, B. (2012). Stress: perceptions,
manifestations, and coping mechanisms of student registered nurse anesthetists.
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal Supplement: S49-55. Retrieved
December 5, 2013 from
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Foureur, M., Besley, K., Burton, G., Yu, N., & Crisp, J. (2013). Enhancing the
resilience of nurses and midwives: Pilot of a mindfulness-based program for
increased health, sense of coherence and decreased depression, anxiety
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Retrieved December 5, 2013 from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_
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