Help....I Can't Take it Anymore! - Nurses Coping with Stress

Do you have those days when the stress of your job just makes you want to scream?? Maybe you do scream....but hopefully not at your co-workers....and certainly not at your patients. But what do you do.

Updated: Feb 12

Help....I Can't Take it Anymore! - Nurses Coping with Stress

We all know that nursing is a stressful profession. We don't own the market on stressful jobs. But the source of our job stresses come from a different source that may elevate us higher up the ladder. The consequences of us missing a deadline can be much greater than a business person who misses a deadline with a report. We are dealing with human lives.

We may forget the various levels of stress that nursing places on our bodies. Physically, our job can be very demanding with stresses placed on our muscles, resulting in various aches and pains. Mentally, we have to be on our toes, constantly alert, as we go through our day of multitasking......administering medications, caring for patients of different acuity levels, addressing questions from patients and families, etc. We feel the emotional impact of stress as we are continuously working in an environment where there is pain and sadness.

Sure there are other parts of our jobs that cause stress.......schedules, salaries, bosses, co-workers, etc. But, when you think about it.....the bottom line is the patient.....a human being. Providing competent and compassionate care to PEOPLE is at the very heart of nursing. The inability to do this in a manner that meets our personal and professional criteria is at the base of much of our stress.

Stress is pretty much a constant thing in our lives. Although stress usually carries a negative connotation, some stress is actually good, propelling us into positive action. Think about the stress of a code. I think you would agree that a code places stress on the body. However this stress....the fight or flight response.... actually forces us into action to try to save a life.

Let's continue to look at the code as our example. You know how you feel after the code. Your body is still in the fight mode. You are still in high gear. But what happens if the code is unsuccessful, or if you know the patient's outcome is very precarious. What if you are the one who has to deal with the family members. No one looks forward to that stressful situation. But, as professionals, we do our job and face the family.

Let's look at other stresses in our jobs. Staffing shortages are a major stressor these days. And what about changes in technology? You've just gotten used to one piece of technology, when someone (usually not a healthcare professional) decides to "upgrade". We could go on and on with this list. But these stresses interfere with our productivity, and negatively affect the level of care provided to the patient. And that causes inner turmoil as we feel the emotional strain of not being able to meet our own criteria as a professional.

Nurses are great at dealing with the stresses that come along. There is the belief that nurses should be able to cope with anything that comes along in their personal or professional domains. That comes with our nursing degree.....right?????? After all.....nurses are super humans.

This type of belief puts nurses in a box and makes it difficult for them to admit they are stressed to the max. Even though our friends and relatives who know us well try to tell us to "take care of ourselves", we try to carry on. We keep on until we get to the point where we want to scream......"I can't take it anymore!!!"

Nurses need to realize that showing signs of stress is only normal. Nurse are, after all, part of the human race. There are limits to the amount of pressures we should be expected to endure. Admitting to being stressed does not mean that we are not coping. Just the opposite. When we realize our limitations, we can then start to look for better ways to cope more effectively with our stressors. If we can take care of ourselves, we will be better able to care for others.

Have you gotten to the point where you just want to scream?

What are the major stressors in your job?

What are some effective ways you have found to deal with these stresses?