5 Strategies for Stress Reduction for Nurses

By: Michael Roth Dc

Do you feel as if you are being stalked by a grizzly bear? Is your system always on high alert? Do you experience headaches, body aches, digestive distress, anxiety, or sleeplessness? The common culprit behind these symptoms could be....STRESS!

What are the stressors in your life? Do you have neck or low back pain from lifting and transporting patients? Do you feel pulled in different directions, trying to meet the needs of your patients and their doctors? Are you trying to get more done in less time? "Stress" has become such a common household word that we use it to describe everything from the rush of the morning commute to the hours of homework our children complete after their mandatory club soccer practices.

Stress is harmful because stress imbalances every hormone system in your body. To achieve optimum health and an ideal body composition, you must focus on regular stress management. When you experience a stressor, there are three phases to your response: 1) the stressful event, 2) your inner appraisal of it, and 3) your body's reaction. The stress response is difficult to handle because once it begins, the mind has no control over it. Sitting in traffic or being criticized at work can trigger a stress response 'the "fight-or-flight" reaction ' that has no hope of being physically carried out, thus dissipating the hormones that create the body's call to action.

Although you may not be able to control the stressful event -- or your body's reaction to it -- your inner appraisal of it, the link between the event and your reaction, is up to you. The totally personal way in which you filter all events determines how stressful they are. Everyone has a different level of stress tolerance. What seems to create the greatest perceived threat in any given situation are these three factors: 1) lack of predictability, 2) lack of control, 3) lack of outlets for frustration.

5 Strategies to Manage Stress

1. Receive some bodywork. Massage therapy or chiropractic sessions can reduce the muscular and skeletal stress that result from tense, overwrought muscles. Caring for the physical body helps reset the emotional self as well.

2. Develop a practice of breath work. Breathing seems such a natural event; we often don't realize when our breath has become shallow and limited. When we breathe fully and deeply, expanding the air into the bottom of our lungs, we receive the full benefit of oxygenating our brain and body. Our brain is 2% of our body's weight and uses 20% of our body's oxygen! Lack of oxygen increases feelings of helplessness, fatigue, and uneasiness. Full, deep breaths help balance the nervous system.

3. Meditate. Make time once or twice a day to turn within and commune with the still small voice that is the "you" inside your physical body. Even if it is only for five minutes, turning your attention within can help reset your thoughts and feelings and refresh your perspective.

4. Exercise. Move your body! Walking, biking, swimming or dancing all get the blood moving, carrying fresh oxygen to all parts of your brain and body. The "fight or flight" response shared by humans and animals is extremely helpful when you are faced with physical danger, like that grizzly bear in the first paragraph. If the problem can be solved by "fighting," taking action to scare the bear away, or by "flight," running away so fast the bear can't harm you, the solution itself dissipates the stress and bodily functions return to normal. When stress is caused by a problem, situation, or condition that can't be solved through such a response, the impact extends for a longer period. Exercise helps dissipate the hormones that accumulate in the body when it is stressed.

5. Be here now. Keep your thoughts focused on the present moment. It is really all that you have. Fretting about past events or worrying about what may happen in the future both sap your ability to enjoy where you are right now. Reviewing the past and planning for the future are two abilities of higher reasoning that humans have that differentiate us from other mammals. Don't let circumstances take over your opportunity to see the gift that this moment brings you—that's why it's called the "present!"

Our bodies are wired for health and vitality, not for illness and disease. Health is how our bodies function, not how they feel. Health comes from the inside out. And, importantly, the choices we make play a part in our health and well-being. For more information on health and wellness, stress management, weight loss, and releasing emotional blocks that may be sabotaging your health, go to www.drmichaelroth.com or www.rothwellnesscenter.com.

How Many Ways to Overcome Your Sleep Disorder?

By Mohan Khadka

Sometimes you lie in bed with open eyes and cannot sleep. Sometimes you fall asleep during the day and cannot focus on your work. If you have some of these symptoms, then we must draw your attention to your sleep process. As if you spend too much time trying to fall asleep in bed at night, then you might have a sleep dysfunction. It is really disturbing for people's every day life. Those people who do not have quality sleep at night usually suffer from fatigue with low energy and yawning during the day. All these factors can lead to mental and body disorders, which can spring into accidents and influence relations. In general, bad sleep changes your mood state and disconnects you from the world. There are many ways to regulate sleep disorders: diet, supplement nutrition, herb therapy, physical exercises, meditation, relaxation, sensory practicing or cognitive techniques.

We would like to offer to you some of these methods that might help you to solve issues with your night sleep.

1. Keep your mind busy with the counting or word spelling. The key factor is that you relax your brain by engaging it to do a monotonous task.

2. Alternatively tensing or relaxing the main muscles of your body help to conquer a sleep disorder. Just lie down comfortable and tense then relax your muscles. Start with your toes and go on with all your body muscles. For more details www.activities-little-fingers.com Perform this exercise from your feet to the top of your head. The secret is that your body listens to the orders of your mind and knows how to relax the muscles. Gradually you fall asleep. This is a conscious technique. It is called a progressive relaxation.

3. Deep breathing method is the great way to relax your body and get harmony in all your muscles. Profound breathing is a basic and essential component of yoga. Close your eyes and focus on breathing. In order to breath deeply engage your lower back, ribcage and belly. Make every next breath longer and deeper. Breathing is the very start of our lives. It is just a start. Breath slowly- you do not have any need to hurry up.

4. One of the ways to cope with your sleep disorder is listening to the silence in your ears. It is a very simple technique but rather productive and helpful one. Lay relaxed on your back and close your ears. You will hear a high and jingling sound. After listening to this sound for 15 minutes, relax your hands and sleep peacefully.

5. Another interesting and useful technique involves your feet, especially your toes. It might seem to you strange, but this method works. For more details www.tips-getting-healthy.com Lie down, close your eyes and relax. Now drag all your toes in the direction to your face. Count slowly to 10 in this position, relax your toes and count again 10. Repeat this sequence for 10-12 times.

6. Visualization or imagination technique is the most attractive method. First of all, it can be self-directed or guided by others. This process consists of two stages. Initially you have to relax your body by the means of deep breathing or some other techniques. Then the visualization itself starts. Here you are free to create and perform in your mind the most pleasant images.

7. Meditation is the contradictory to the visualization. Meditation requires your clear brain. Just focus on your breathing, an object or a word. This allows you to calm your thinking and achieve silence in your mind. Stop thinking; stop speaking in your mind. Thus you reach the quiet state and fall asleep.

If you perform some of these relaxation techniques every day, you mind and body will acquire a good habit of being able to relax. Good luck and have a nice sleep!

Burnout: The Effects Of Unavoidable Job Stress

By Douglas Hardwick, Ph.D.


Stress seems to be an inevitable part of any job. Even minor things can lead to feelings of stress. Petty arguments with supervisors and conflicts with co-workers are among the most common every day stressors. For some employees, however, the level of stress experienced goes far beyond job strain and the irritation of daily hassles. For some employees, the level of stress experienced on the job builds up until it is overwhelming and leads to a condition called burnout.

What is burnout? In general, burnout is described as emotional exhaustion. The most common symptoms associated with this emotional exhaustion include overwhelming fatigue, headaches, stomachaches, and impaired sleep. And, as burnout develops, it often leads to a deterioration in social skills. Individuals in the midst of burnout just do not interact with others as they did in the past. They often withdraw from others. They may lose patience more easily. They may become more abrupt and abrasive in their dealings with others. Their language on the job may become cruder. They may appear to be moody and depressed.

Over time, burnout has profound effects on job performance. Simply put, job performance suffers. Victims of burnout are likely to reduce the amount of work they do. They may avoid tasks that they find most stressful. Their absenteeism is likely to increase. In the worst case, they may suddenly quit their jobs with little notice to their employers. Supervisors may not be able to recognize burnout for what it is, but they certainly will notice the effects of burnout on job performance.

Burnout often occurs in those jobs we think of as the helping professions. Professions such as teaching, law enforcement, nursing, and social work are all potential breeding grounds for burnout. Interestingly, within these professions, burnout tends to strike the most dedicated and most idealistic individuals. While burnout has been observed for years in the so-called helping professions, it can occur in a wide range of jobs. The key seems to be the presence of inescapable, day-to-day frustrations which build up overtime.

The frustrations that lead to burnout can take many forms. Studies of professions such as teaching and nursing have suggested that burnout occurs when workers begin to believe that no one appreciates the work they do or the help they provide. Over time the difficulty of their task and the presence of ambitious, but ambiguous, goals may lead them to believe that their efforts have no real impact. When the feeling "it doesn't matter what I do" sets in, burnout is not far behind. Of course, these feelings are not limited to the helping professions. Anytime workers feel overwhelmed by the demands of their job and think that there is little support for their efforts, burnout becomes a threat.

Fortunately, there are several things that can be done to eliminate or reduce the development of burnout. First of all, it is important for supervisors to actively support their subordinates, to treat them fairly, and to provide them with appropriate feedback. Second, it is important for employees to develop a realistic view of what they can accomplish on the job. Unrealistic goals are a recipe for frustration and stress. Third, employees need to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Individuals who blur the boundaries between work and home are good candidates for burnout. Finally, employees need to learn specific techniques for reducing and managing their own perceived levels of stress. These techniques may include exercise and various relaxation procedures. Meditation, tai chi, and qigong are all examples of holistic health practices that might prove helpful. Practitioners have long argued that these disciplines enhance relaxation and reduce stress in the individual.