Decompress?? what works? - Page 2

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  1. Jul 10, '12 by
    Sounds like a change of job is in order no matter WHAT method of decompression you find!

    What about the idea of diving into Netflix? I know, some movies make your mind wander back to work if you can't get into them, but if it's something you KNOW you like (or will like), it's a nice escape.
    jrwest and VivaLasViejas like this.
  2. Jul 10, '12 by
    Get a punching bag for your basement or backyard, and some good boxing gloves. Put on some ridiculous music like Herb Alpert or Tom Jones, something totally awful and out of place, at top volume. Kick and punch the excrement outta that bag til you gotta call a CODE BROWN! Beat and punch and kick and sweat out your horrible shift until it has LEFT you. Imagine your boss's face on that bag, your patients face, Joint Commission's face, your ex's face, whoever will get you kicking and screaming! LET IT OUT! And, burn some calories. I HIGHLY recommend a cold glass of white wine afterward, just remember to take the gloves off first.
    jrwest likes this.
  3. Jul 10, '12 by
    Personally, on my 40 minute commute home I have a bunch of CDs and I just jam out (I call it car-aoke). I'm only slightly self conscious of the other cars seeing me sing. I find that helps me unwind.

    I agree with previous posters w/ exercise. I find jogging to be wonderful therapy, but I know that's not everyone's favorite activity. I like the punching bag idea ^^ Also Netflix!! Nothing puts me in a better mood than finding a new DVD in the mail at the end of the day!

    Ultimately, if you've tried a bunch of things and your stress is still high even at home, then maybe it's time for a change.

    Hope you feel better.
    jrwest likes this.
  4. Jul 17, '12 by
    good question... who cares for the caregiver?

    one thing that makes nursing different from most jobs is Mortality Salience. hospitals mainly exist to deal with morbidity and mortality, so mortality salience is a factor that i think gets overlooked a lot when dealing with nursing stress. with this in mind, high self esteem has been shown to act as a buffer against the effects of mortality salience. soo... after a quick google search... we now have some easy ways to increase our self-esteem... no exercise or drinking necessary

    one funny trick that might work is getting a massage... while playing a tape that tells you how awesome you are... like one of those motivational tapes... yup... "you are awesome. you've saved a lot of lives. you did an awesome job today. you are the best nurse ever. you are smarter than your boss. America would like to thank you for your hard work and dedication. etc..."
    jrwest likes this.
  5. Jul 17, '12 by
    oh yeah... and there's these...

    https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...nursing+stress

    https://www.google.com/search?q=strategies+to+prevent+stress+and+burnout+ in+nursing

    there's also plenty of literature about "nursing burnout"

    http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=...&as_sdt=0%2C44
  6. Jul 17, '12 by
    Sounds like what you need is another job -
  7. Jul 17, '12 by
    yes- i was just reminded of that today.if only.
  8. Jul 17, '12 by
    This sounds awfully drastic, I suppose, but have you thought about cutting back your hours? I know it's really tough, given the current economic situation, but to me you sound pretty burnt out. I went through two years of major burnout (during which I also often wanted to drive into the river) and the things that helped me most were cutting back to part time and getting more sleep. It's hard when your job sucks.
    jrwest likes this.