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What are the Coping Strategies for Stress in Nursing?
The American Nurses Association (ANA) recommended three ways to cope with stress in nursing such as:
Dr. Rajan published his comparative study entitled " Coping Strategies for Stress: A Comparative Study Among Nurses" and illustrated two broad coping strategies used by nurses as follows :
The American Nurses Association (ANA) recommended three ways to cope with stress in nursing such as:
- Creating a culture of purposeful communication: Communication is one of the best ways nurses can decrease the stress in their day, says Kiki Orski, founder and chief nursing officer of Peak Performance Consulting. “Stress in hospitals in hospitals is unavoidable. However, it can be managed" . When you foster a culture of purposeful communication, in which people share information fully and openly, stress levels can decrease, Orski says. “This is especially important for patients — their trust levels rise because they feel fully informed, they become more compliant with their care and therefore can experience better outcomes.” (ANA)
- Getting organized: Taking the time to set priorities in your day can help you better formulate plans for how to complete everything, Osunsanya says. “By being organized, you’ll establish what you need to do,” and while you can’t do everything, you’ll be able to prioritize what you must accomplish (ANA)
- Enlisting the help of a mentor: "Finding a mentor can help your own development and career path, but in times of stress, it can also help you cool down, says Osunsanya. “By having a mentor, you may be able to express or vent your concerns, which nurses often bottle up" ( ANA)
- The thoughts you think affect every cell in your body.
- The emotions that you feel affect your thoughts, and likewise, the thoughts you think affect your emotions.
- The way you care for your body: the foods you ingest; the type and amount of exercise that you engage in; the amount of rest and sleep that you get; the air you breathe ; all of these practices have a profound effect on your thoughts, your emotions, and your relationships.
- And likewise, the types and nature of the relationships that you engage in affect your overall physical health, your emotional health, your mental clarity, and your sense of well-being (Thornton, 2006).
Dr. Rajan published his comparative study entitled " Coping Strategies for Stress: A Comparative Study Among Nurses" and illustrated two broad coping strategies used by nurses as follows :
- Problem-Focused or Approach Coping - It happens when efforts are directed at solving or managing the problem that is causing distress. It includes strategies for gathering information, making decisions, planning, and resolving conflicts. This type of coping effort is usually directed at acquiring resources to help deal with the underlying problem and includes instrumental, situations specific and task-oriented actions. Problem focused forms of coping are likely to be associated with lower levels of negative health outcomes and it is positively related to satisfaction and health. Confrontive coping, Seeking Social support and Planful problem solving are the dimensions of problem focused coping.
- Emotion focused or Avoidant Coping - This approach is directed at managing or reducing emotional distress, which includes cognitive strategies such as looking on the bright side, or behavioural strategies such as seeking emotional support, having a drink, or using drugs. Emotion focused forms of coping such as self blame, wishful thinking, escape or avoidance are likely to be associated with increased negative health. Attempts at self control, distancing, positive reappraisal, accepting responsibilities and escape or avoidance, including wishful thinking and short term alleviating measures such as smoking, drinking alcohol are the various dimensions of emotion focused or avoidance coping. These emotion focused dimensions are typically viewed as being negative and unhelpful, and have been associated with burnout amongst nurses wishful thinking and positive reappraisal.