Here’s a note I recently received from a new graduate asking about how to deal with stress in her role as a RN on a busy medicine unit…

Dear Elizabeth,

I graduated from nursing school about eight months ago. I was fortunate to find a job very quickly and felt so excited to become a nurse. Well, that excitement has already faded away and I find myself wondering why I became a nurse in the first place (so not what I want to be thinking about- I thought I really wanted to become a RN!).

Anyway, what’s happening is I find myself thinking about work all of the time. When I drive home, while I make breakfast (I work nights) and then as I try to fall asleep. On the weekends, when I’m off… all I am doing is worrying about what I did at work. It’s like- ‘Did I give that medication? What if I forgot to chart that PRN? Was I supposed to call the family member back?’

The thoughts never stop and it’s driving me crazy! All I want to do is sleep and you’d think I’d be exhausted after a night shift, right? Physically I am, but mentally- I cannot turn it off. Can you help me?

Thanks,

Exhausted in Edgewood

Stress in Nursing

Let me tell you, ‘Exhausted in Edgewood‘, you are not alone. I hear this all of the time. In fact, I was at an event last week, teaching a group of nursing students work life balance tips and I heard the very same thing.

Many, if not all, of us experience stress in nursing. At one point in your career, you’ve probably experienced nurse burnout. You can identify with the thousands of nurses who look for ways to deal with stress at work.

Yet what I’d like to focus on in this particular post is something specific mentioned in the email above. Our newly graduated RN brings up an issue that can become completely debilitating to our sense of work life balance.

Leave Work Behind

‘Exhausted in Edgewood‘ shares with us that she cannot turn off the mental chatter. That when she gets home from work all she thinks about is the j-o-b. I know from personal experience… this can get old- and very fast.

Thinking about work when you’re not actually there creates nurse burnout. As our new grad vulnerably shares with us- it can cause you to question why you became a nurse in the first place. So what’d I would like to share with you are 3 techniques you can use to quiet the mental chatter so that you can get the rest you need (and deserve!).

Three Tips to Deal with Stress

• Do a body scan. If you’re reviewing the work day over and over in your mind, get out of your head. Start with your feet and bring your attention up the body. As you inhale, bless and give thanks to each part of the body- one-by-one. As you exhale, release any tension that is held in that particular area. Do this up the body (feet, knees, hips, torso, and so forth) until you get to the crown of your head. Allow yourself to focus on the physical body so that you can let go of obsessive thoughts and worry.
• Get up and move. So I’m not suggesting you go for a run right before bed. What I do recommend is that if you are having trouble falling asleep due to the mental chatter in your mind, maybe you need a change of scenery. If you have another room, with another bed- you can try changing sleeping spots for the night. Or go sit in a chair in another room and read a book for a bit. Once you start to feel sleepy again, give it another try. Lying in bed, forcing sleep is only going to make it harder to get to. Get up for a few minutes to see if you can distract yourself from what’s on your mind.
• Use the breath or other energy tools. Many nurses I know are also trained in other techniques such as healing touch, Reiki Practice or meditation. While we are really good at teaching others these skills, do we use them on ourselves? If you can’t fall asleep because you’re thinking about work, this is a great time to practice what you preach. Turning the attention to the breath and doing a simple exercise on letting go can be quite effective. What you do here is on the in breath, say the word ‘let’ to yourself. On the out breath, the word ‘go’. Let go. Let go. Let go of whatever is on your mind.

It Will Be There Tomorrow

What I’d like to close with is this reminder: nursing is a 24/7 operation. There will always be the next shift. A nurse behind you will do what’s best for your patient, and if that means helping out where you left off, they will.

When you’re lying there in bed, what can you do about work? Nothing. Unless you are literally going to get up out of the bed and drive yourself back to the workplace- there is absolutely nothing you can do about work from your home. So why even think about it?

I read somewhere a great tool that I hope can help you. If you find yourself worrying about the past/future, stop and ask yourself: is there anything I can do about this Right Now? If the answer is no, then let it go. It may be easier said than done, yet with practice and time I’ve found this tip extremely effective. Why not give it a try?

Let’s hear from you. What would you add to the list above? How do you leave work where it belongs? What are some ways that you deal with stress in nursing?

About the Author: As a speaker, workshop facilitator, and Reiki Master, Elizabeth partners with hospitals, organizations, associations, and nursing groups to help transform the field of nursing from the inside out. As the host of The Art of Nursing virtual conference, Elizabeth guides nurses and nursing students to a change in perspective, helping them make the inner shift needed to better maneuver the sometimes challenging realities of being a caregiver.

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