UK Nurses Need Holistic Solutions for Workplace Stress

Nurses are facing some of their toughest times to date. In recent months the UK nursing industry has been involved in NHS strikes over pay, reports of understaffed wards, and a looming bed crisis. On a personal level, nurses are working long hours on shift rotation, yet their hard work in the public sector is unrewarded financially and a lack of social support fuels the risk of burnout. These contributing factors lead to increased strain on nurses whose role it is to care for others. Before they can do this, it's important that nurses take time to care for themselves. Here are our best tips for nurses on coping with and reducing stress.

Nursing duties and shift work

In a report about the impact of shift and night work on health by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Italy, shift work has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of workers in the following ways:

• Reduced performance and efficiency
• Increased risk of fatigue
• Deterioration of general health
• More errors are made at work
• Personal relationships suffer

Findings also suggest that “shift and night work may have more specific adverse effects on women's health both in relation to their particular hormonal and reproductive function.” This is particularly concerning considering the Royal College of Nursing has found that around 90% of UK nurses are women.

Emotional stresses and strains

In addition to physiological interruptions, nurses face an emotional impact when pressures from ‘the system’ clash with the reality of being face-to-face with patients and relatives on the ward. The simultaneous requirement to conform to set practices in the workplace whilst also giving the best possible care to patients can lead to incredible stress when nurses are expected to be all things to all people. In some situations the time it takes to offer reassurance and support to a patient can be significant, yet this service must still be quantified to management. This itself is stressful. Alongside the demands of their team, phone calls, and ward buzzers, all of these elements lead to a highly pressurized working environment.

Unrealistic goals lead to stress

Health Care Assistant Penny Hazzell works in Birmingham and has been part of the nursing industry for more than 35 years. Having previously worked as a nurse and then as the manager of a rehabilitation centre, she now works in an Intensive Therapy Unit. In her experience, she has seen that unrealistic goals lead directly to stress:

“On paper it often seems you can do more than you can, but sometimes you are explaining complex or terminal issues to a patient and their relatives, or there is no time for one-to-one care.”

Hazzell gives sound advice to nurses struggling with stress on wards:

1. Set near-focus goals. Think about what you can achieve in the next half an hour, rather than across a whole shift.
2. Don’t overcomplicate things. Patients or relatives can become anxious and upset when waiting for news or medical explanations. Too much information at one time can be counter productive, so focus on immediate concerns separately.
3. Let people know what you’ve achieved. Nurses’ work can go unnoticed on a busy ward. Even if you didn’t achieve all that you set out to do or you didn’t hit a target, focus on what you did get done.
4. Don’t be afraid to delegate. Your colleagues are there to support you, lean on each other as a nursing team.

It’s equally important to remember what else is important to you besides nursing. Put photographs of your family on your desk or frame memorable events with friends. This can ease stress by reminding you that you have a support team outside of the hospital too. Also, find time outside of the workplace to participate in activities that you enjoy and make you happy. Creative pursuits, sports and hobbies all help to reduce stress levels.

Holistic responses to workplace stress

The aforementioned research by the Institute of Occupational Medicine shows that working shift patterns and at night time affects every element of nurses’ health, so it’s important to consider your physical and emotional wellbeing holistically. Sharon Stiles is a hypnotherapist who helps people to reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and get rid of mind blocks. She suggests two ways in which you can visualise the stress you are feeling and push it away using your mind:

1. Acknowledge the stress you feel as you walk away from a situation. Focus on each step you take and now imagine leaving the stress behind as footsteps. As you walk, look up. You feel more positive when you walk tall.
2. If you have a moment, close your eyes and focus on the stressful feeling. Pinpoint it within your body and give it a colour, shape or texture. Now imagine this object melting away or shrinking. Keep trying until it disappears altogether.

Stiles recommends deep breathing to instill calm and reduce stress, which is reiterated by Dominque Antiglio, a sophrology therapist and former osteopath who specialises in stress management and self-development. At regular intervals or at stressful times of the day, she recommends using your body to let go of tensions and reduce stress:

Inhale counting to three or four. Exhale counting to five or six. To enhance awareness and focus better, place your hand on the lower abdomen - as you inhale your tummy should rise and, as you exhale, your tummy should deflate. Breathe like this for only three minutes to feel a physical calming effect.

Over time, with great focus and practice, holistic approaches to stress can become valuable tools to help nurses cope with day to day workplace pressures. If you’re a nurse and have managed to overcome workplace stress, share your best practical or holistic tips with other nurses in the comments. Let us know where you felt the worst symptoms - were they physical or emotional? We'd love to hear from you.