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

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

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?

[sevensonnets]

I think the worst thing that ever happened to nurses was 12-hour shifts. There was a time when you worked your 8 hours and then you walked out the door and left it all behind. You did not let it stress you out. You younger nurses will just have to trust me on that. I've been a nurse for almost 37 years.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I hated 12-hour shifts. It meant absolutely NO other business could be conducted during that 72-hour stretch when all I did was work, eat, and sleep. And the last two hours of a shift were downright dangerous for me, because I was too tired to care much by that time and I sometimes missed little details, like clearing IV pumps and fetching fresh ice water for the patients (we didn't have CNAs on nights). I did much better when I went to 8 hours, even though I worked four days per week instead of three. But that's just me...most of my co-workers loved 12-hour shifts.

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

I try to disconnect from my job on the way home.

It was difficult, if not impossible, to do at my last job. The acuity was so high, and there were many things that I could miss. I used to call the unit during my drive home after I realized I had forgotten something important. Those kind of moments can increase your stress and make you doubt your competency as a nurse. Thankfully, I don't do that anymore.

Come to think of it, the acuity hasn't changed, even though I'm in LTC now. I work in a busy rehab unit with 6 swing beds. Daily admissions and medical emergencies are par for the course. It's med surg w/o all of the resources. I've learned who I can trust at work though: who to go to for a certain problem (there's a nurse who's great w/technology, a nurse who is great w/emergencies or admissions, etc.) I've also learned who to avoid - either because they're in the process of burning out or they're not the type of nurse I can depend on when the shift takes a turn for worse. I fall somewhere in the area of, I don't know everything but I will work my tail off while I'm here. My coworkers know that I will do my best to help them when I can.

There's some stress you can't avoid. Like when work calls you on your day off because you really did forget something important, or they can't find paperwork that you filled out during your shift. That doesn't happen all the time, though. Most of the time I can walk out the door and trust that the next two shifts will take care of whatever I couldn't get to.

At the end of the night, I can usually go home knowing that I did my very best at my job that I possibly could. That is what allows me to pop my melatonin and get some quality sleep before I get up and do it all over again.

Some people say that not talking about work helps w/their stress. I fall somewhere in between. If something is really bothering me, I'll talk about it w/my family for a little while, and then I shut it off and focus on something else. I watch my favorite show or listen to stress relieving music. I love candles and aromatherapy, and sometimes I get creative w/crafts. Mostly I make sure I get plenty of sleep and try to keep a regular routine (minus the nights when I have to stay later to finish things up).

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

VivaLasViejas said:

I hated 12-hour shifts. It meant absolutely NO other business could be conducted during that 72-hour stretch when all I did was work, eat, and sleep. And the last two hours of a shift were downright dangerous for me, because I was too tired to care much by that time and I sometimes missed little details, like clearing IV pumps and fetching fresh ice water for the patients (we didn't have CNAs on nights). I did much better when I went to 8 hours, even though I worked four days per week instead of three. But that's just me...most of my co-workers loved 12-hour shifts.

Me, too. Although now that I work 8 hour shifts 5 days a week, I kind of miss that 4 day stretch of doing nothing. I keep reminding myself of how dead tired I was after one 12 hour shift, much less 3 in a row.

[nurse_dg]

My shifts at my job (old and new) whether it was 8 or 12 hours have been physically and mentally draining. Sometimes, however much I want to try to disconnect from it, I still take all the worries at home. It's tough but it does get better at times.My go-to stress reliever is getting massages or doing it at home.