A Nurse’s Guide to Stress

• Nurse stress has negative health consequences and there are ways to combat it.
• To keep stress in check, nurses should strive to achieve a healthy work/life balance.
• To deal with nurse stress in the long term, health care workers should consider joining a support group.

Nurse stress, specifically chronic, can be deadly and today’s nursing world has many contributors. All things in moderation could not be truer than when speaking about stress. Stress doesn’t have to be a negative consequence when doled out in a reasonable dose.  

 Appropriate measures of stress can be beneficial, inspire motivation, and elevate performance to the next level. Stress is one of the most impactful issues facing nurses today. The emotional load carried by nurses includes moral and ethical dilemmas and the physical pressures are taxing.  

Nurses are expected “not to take it home” and even “turn it off”.  These demands are challenging, and the subsequent stress can drive nurses from the bedside.  

Stress is aggregate – like a snowball, growing bigger and bigger as it descends a mountainside.  

Early Manifestations of Stress Overload include

• Nausea 
• Upset stomach 
• Headaches 
• Irritableness 
• Irregular sleep patterns 

Left untreated, these symptoms can blossom into serious emotional difficulties, physical manifestations, and social consequences.  

Unchecked stress can influence: 

• Relationships 
• Concentration 
• Focus 
• Disrupt the immune system 

How to Deal With Nurse Stress

 This can be accomplished with adequate sleep, at least 6-8 hours nightly, a well-balanced diet avoiding refined sugars and processed meals, ample exercise including muscle stretches to release tension, deep breathing exercises and meditation, and talking, laughing and relaxation by sharing thoughts with friends or family or relaxing with a hobby.  

 In addition to these basic antidotes, nurses specifically must embrace self-care. This means understanding your feelings and recognizing their effects on other avenues of your life. Realizing you are not alone brings comfort and normalcy. Peer support groups and offering nurse coaches is one approach that shows promise.  

Teaching ownership is an essential antidote to nurse stress. Recognizing that days are 24 hours and must allow for work, family, and sleep is the first step to combatting stress. Delegating work tasks at home and speaking up at work are two ways nurses are doing this. It is OK to expect family members to carry some of the home workload and at work nurses should feel comfortable speaking up when assignments are too heavy or unsafe.  

Finally, nurses should get comfortable with making a change when it is necessary. If multiple attempts to realize job satisfaction have gone unanswered, nurses must understand there are options and maybe it is time to move on. 

Home care, education, and school nursing are just some alternatives that might deserve exploration. Staying in a toxic work culture will only ensure stress exacerbation.  

The Bottom Line

Stress and stressors are an integral part of everyday life – some are good and motivational; others can be destructive. Breaking the grasp of stress in one’s life can result in a healthier you, a happier you, and a more productive you. Set your aspirations high for a balanced life that includes good relationships, a satisfying career, time to unplug, and fun.  

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