When to Stop and Take a Deep Breath You know exactly what it’s like when you get that feeling of super stress, where it seems like you will never be able to relax again. You have a thousand balls you are juggling, and if you let someone step in to help, they will all fall. In other words, the weight of the world appears to be on you. There are days that when you go to work, you don’t stop. It will be one thing after another, and nothing seems to be going right. So, you run room to room, and continue to try to catch up, or at least calm things down a bit, but nothing is working. So, what do you do? Nurse 1 Nurse 1 got to work at 7 a.m. and was clocked in for less than 5 minutes before one of his patients coded. He was working on this patient for 40 minutes until the patient was revived and transferred to the ICU. After that incident, he was behind on patient rounds, and several patients were calling the nurses station to find when their nurse would be there. Nurse 1 was running like crazy trying to catch up, but his day continued the hectic pace. It was 2 p.m. and the nurse had not been on a break or had a bite to eat all day. He went to lunch, and was there 10 minutes when the family of a patient approached him with a list of concerns. Needless to say, he did not finish lunch, and went straight back to work. The afternoon was not getting any better; it seemed to be one thing after another. Nurse 1 was about to his breaking point when his supervisor stepped in and told him to take a step backwards, and take a deep breath, in fact 10 deep breaths, then sit down for 10 minutes, no talking to anyone. He followed the advice of his supervisor, and when he got back up to work, he was amazed at how much better he felt, rejuvenated and ready to finish his shift. The remainder of the day went well; the stress seemed so much less after taking a short break with no interruptions. Now, when he has a stressful day, he takes a step back, does some deep breathing, and gives himself a 10-minute break before returning to work. This makes a big difference, and seems to make the remainder of the shift go better. Related: Fighting Infections & Viruses Our brains and hearts rev up when called to do so by our bodies. When adrenaline is pumping, it can be a good thing, the problem is that if the activity, such as work, continues on, the adrenaline tends to continue on as well. Even if things slow down, your body does not, and it makes the stress on your body and mind intensify. Those feelings of intensity can exhaust
you, often faster than physical work. When this occurs, it is time to take a break and reset your mind. Even a 15-minute break used wisely can make the remainder of the day improve drastically. Take a break in a private area, not in the public cafeteria where family members of patients can approach you. Take some deep breaths, at least 10, inhale and exhale slowly. Then relax for a few minutes, move your head side to side, easing the tension in your neck. Once you feel relaxed, return to work, and you should see a big improvement in how you feel, and how things go. When we are stressed out and running behind, the last thing you feel you should do is to take a break. However, a 10 or 15-minute break could change the entire day, making you more productive and allowing things to run smoothly. Next time you feel overwhelmed and stressed, try it. Take a break, breathe in some healthy oxygen in your body, and regenerate yourself for what lies ahead. Related: List of nursing organizations Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter