Nurses Need Care Too: Stress Reset Strategies

No matter how hard you try, life comes in seasons, and those seasons come with challenges… and stress. Lots of stress.

Working in healthcare, we are charged with not only caring for our patients’ physical ailments but also their overall health and emotional wellbeing. We expect to feel the weight of this responsibility and even embrace it, but when stress comes up outside of work, we can start to feel like we are treading water…and getting tired doing it.

The challenge comes when none of those areas of stress are things that we can, or want to, let go of: care of family members, our own health issues, relationships.

We aren’t necessarily complaining but we are getting worn down.

Have you ever been in this position? Are you there now?

Don’t panic. This is when going back to basics can be helpful.

Step 1: Acknowledge where you are. It’s ok to need some support.

I’m going to say it again: It’s ok to need some support

…and it may start with you. How can you support yourself? What would help you feel supported?

Start with the way you are talking to yourself. Are you telling yourself you can’t do it all, that it’s too much, that something’s gotta give? While this might be true, it isn’t exactly reassuring and supportive OR are you telling yourself you can figure it out, that your effort is good and the work is meaningful?

After you have checked your inner naysayer, then you want to ask “what is one thing I can do that may make me feel a little more relaxed, a little better? Calling a friend, taking a stroll (or a powerwalk if that sounds better), making sure you have some healthy food? Maybe it starts by giving yourself some credit for the amazing things you ARE doing.

Step 2: Create some safety for your nervous system. We do this for our patients all the time.

“Take a deep breath. Unclench your hands. Picture something relaxing. Tell me about something that’s important to you.”

Can you do the same? Your nervous system is processing all the signals in your body and if you are running from one thing to the next it goes faster and faster. We need to give it new signals, calm signals, no-need-to-panic signals. This can be as easy as listening to your favorite song and sitting still for the 3 minutes and 42 seconds that takes. Your nervous system will realize there is no danger, no need to be spiraling, if you can sit still and enjoy music for 3minutes.  

No music or time to stop? You can slow down your breathing while continuing to work. You can do box breathing. Even a few well-placed deep sighs can send the necessary signals.

Step 4: Zoom out.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and caught up in “everything”, but what are the things that are going well. Is everything actually crazy or are there some things that are routine and going just fine. What systems do you have in place that ARE working?  What good relationships do you have? How did you positively impact at least one patient today- despite all the things that were challenging at work?

Bringing some focus to the bigger picture can quiet the mental chatter that things are going wrong.

Step 5: Prioritize your basic needs as much as possible.

Try and get enough sleep. Try to get outside, even for a few minutes. Try and move a little bit more. Try to eat in a supportive way. Grant yourself some grace if you slip up a little on these.

So that’s it. Life will never be stress free. Work will never be perfect.

But we can still be totally fine. Each time we meet these challenges with the basics, it paves the road to be easier next time. 

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✨ Ready to take the next step? If you’re feeling the weight of stress and want personalized support in putting these strategies into practice, I’d love to walk alongside you. Coaching can give you the space, tools, and encouragement you need to move from “just getting by” to feeling grounded and resilient.

👉 Contact me at Megan@NursingBeyondtheJob.com to set up a conversation about how coaching can support you through this season. You don’t have to do it alone.