Take the pressure off, reduce your stress Your first line of defense is to identify your stressors and try to remove them from your life, if possible. For example, you might be able to change your job, alter your schedule or avoid certain people who cause you stress. One way to avoid stress is to make sure you’re not setting unrealistic goals for yourself. If your goals are too difficult to achieve, you won’t achieve them and you’ll feel stress. Try setting personal goals using the SMART approach: Specific: Choose one small goal and write it down. Make sure to include as many details about your goal as you can (when, where and how). Measurable: Make sure you can count it or check it off a list. Attainable: If your goal is too difficult, you set yourself up for failure. Realistic: Make sure your goal is something you are willing to work
towards. Time-limited: Set a specific, realistic date to finish or achieve your goal. When it’s not possible to avoid excessive stress, you need a strategy to help you cope. There are three basic types of coping skills:
Physical/Behavioural coping skills These are skills that involve taking care of yourself and staying as healthy as possible. Some examples include being physically active, doing yoga, stretching and relaxation exercises, eating a healthy diet and getting enough rest. Physical activity Physical activity can clear your mind, reduce tension and boost your energy. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate- to-vigorous aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more. Yoga and
stretching Yoga and slow stretching – even just five to 10 minutes a day –promote relaxation to reduce stress. Here’s how to do it:
Relaxation exercises There are lots of different relaxation techniques, but breathing exercises are among the most popular and effective. Two simple ones that you can try are exhalation breathing and deep breathing. Exhalation breathing Do this exercise for 10 minutes or more to help you calm dowm.
Deep breathing Do this exercise for three to five minutes whenever you feel tense. It allows your body to release endorphins which are naturally occurring hormones that re-energize and promote relaxation.
Healthy diet Your body runs on the fuel in your food. If you eat good foods, your body will work better. But a diet that includes too much caffeine, sugar, salt and fat can make you feel restless, agitated, and sluggish. It will also erode your stress response. Eat a healthy balanced diet with a variety of whole and minimally processed foods. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit, choose whole grains and a variety of protein foods, including plant-based foods more often. Limit salt, sugar and saturated fats. Good rest Can’t sleep? Then get up. Don’t even try to sleep if your body won’t let you. Clock watching, tossing and turning will only make you tense, and that leads to stress. Instead, relax in a comfortable chair. Read a book, watch television, play cards or do a puzzle. Even if you don’t actually fall asleep, you will be more relaxed. Reducing your anxiety about not sleeping will ultimately make it easier to sleep. Thinking (cognitive)/Mental coping skillsThese skills involve using your thoughts and mind to counteract negative effects of stress. The activities below offer a few ways of coping. Problem solving If you feel overwhelmed and panic when faced with a stressful situation try some classic problem-solving skills to solve it.
Reappraisal Sometimes your interpretation of a stressor can magnify it, making you feel more stressed than necessary. If you think that might be happening to you, follow these steps to make sure you haven’t blown the situation out of proportion.
Meditation Meditation can help settle your mind, allowing you to think more calmly. It also allows you to live in the moment and observe your thought processes. Meditation is not a quick fix: It requires patience and practice but it has lots of benefits. Start by meditating for 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a day. Increase this to 20 minutes no more than twice a day. Avoid meditating just before going to bed because you might become too energized to sleep. There are many different meditation techniques so it’s best to do some research into which one might work best for you. Here’s one technique that you can try.
Please note: If meditation is overdone, you can be completely cut off from feelings of anxiety. This isn’t healthy. Everyone needs a certain amount of stress in order to function. The related information at the bottom of this page will link you to free guided meditations. Personal/Social coping skillsTaking the time for things that give you pleasure and nurture your spirit, is an important coping tool. Some of the most effective activities are to:
To help you decide which coping skill to use, ask yourself three questions:
Learn how to recognize your stress reactions. Visit Canadian mental health association for more information on stress and mental health. Learn more about managing emotions and recovery. Health Canada has information on minimizing stress and the government’s role in helping deal with stress and other mental health issues. UCLA has several free guided meditation (audio; English and Spanish) developed with their Mindful Awareness Research Center. Free online cognitive behavioural therapy for people with chronic health conditions. Assess your stress management skills and take our Stress test. Which of these nursing diagnosis statements related to stress and coping is?Which of these nursing diagnosis statements related to stress and coping is correct? Stress Overload related to financial debt and job pressures as evidenced by problems with decision making. This is a correctly written actual nursing diagnosis.
Which action would the nurse take when caring for a patient with stress?Nurses can help reduce patient anxiety through many methods including effective communication, active listening, personal visits, medication, music, and aromatherapy. Each nurse develops ways to recognize signs that patients feel anxious or in distress.
What action must a patient take to complete the despair level of Sheldon's stages of grief?What action must a patient take to complete the despair level of Sheldon's stages of grief? The last level of Sheldon's stages of grief is completed by relocating the deceased to an important, but not central, place in bereaved person's life and moving on, such as by building a life without the deceased.
Which statement made by a grieving patient would alert the nurse to the need for collaboration with a spiritual care provider?Which statement made by a grieving patient would alert the nurse to the need for collaboration with a spiritual care provider? "There is nothing left for me to do but end it all. Doing away with myself will make things easier for everyone."
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