Previously I’ve written that, Seeing My Nursing Peers Stressed Makes Me Weep! Well, it does! I love nursing and I love nurses! I’m proud to be a nurse and am heartbroken to see so many of my peers stressed beyond belief. So, I’m here to tell you how to stop being stressed, now. There’s no more time for excuses. Read on…

Nursing is Stressful, But that Doesn’t Mean You Have to be Stressed

Do you ever finish a shift at work, or find yourself in the middle of the shift, saying to yourself,

• “What the hell, I don’t need this kind of stress!” Or,
  

• “Oh my gosh, I just came so close to making a medication error!” Or,
  

• “I wish I could spend more time with my patients”? If so, then welcome to the club.

When I first started in nursing, I spent a lot of my time stressed out, frightened that I might do something that would injure…or kill my patients.

I would go home after work and review everything that I’d done during the shift, making sure that I’d caught every detail…and of course, I hadn’t.

Maybe this is my own neurosis and you’ve never experienced this? Or maybe you have. Either way, keep reading…

Stress(ed) Free? Does it Exist?

Nursing is stressful, it’s a fact. While the reasons may be varied, worldwide, nurses experience stress due to their professional responsibilities.

For most of us, “stress free” is just a concept, maybe something that we wish we could experience.

I know of only a handful of people who I could describe as being impermeable to stress or imperturbable, and they’re mostly saints or very realized meditators. But for the rest of us “mere mortals,” the notion of having a completely stress-free life may seem foreign…at best.

But does that mean you should give up trying to decrease the impact that stress has on you?

Does that mean that you should just “learn to live with it,” keep a stiff upper lip and become YET ANOTHER long-suffering nurse? HELL NO!!

The Difference Between Stressor and Stress

In past articles, we’ve looked at the difference between a stressor and the act of feeling stress, so we know that we can change our experience of stress and we can’t always change stressors.

LISTEN: If stress is caused by external forces, and if you can change how you react to these stressors, why do you still suffer due to stress? Wouldn’t you like an alternative?

IT’S UP TO YOU: What if I told you that you could learn how to be much less stressed, would you do whatever it took to learn? Or, why wouldn’t you learn how to be stress free…or at least much less stressed?

A SIMPLE QUESTION: If you had the tools to beat stress, knowing how bad it is for you, wouldn’t you be doing something about it? Or, do you like to suffer?!?

How Does Meditation Change Stress?

Research continues to show that meditation can help to regulate neurophysiological mediators in the stress response. And, with this “inner regulation” comes a reduced impact of stress on the body.

Let’s review the basics; meditation is about working with your mind, learning how to be less distracted and more present.

What is it that distracts you? Thoughts, emotions and sensations. What would happen if your thoughts, sensations and emotions weren’t the source of stress in your life, would you be happier?

HOW WOULD YOUR LIFE BE DIFFERENT IF YOU EXPERIENCED LESS STRESS?

Can You Learn How to be Stress-Free (or at least less stressed?)

A PAINFUL TRUTH: You may find it terribly painful to learn that a lot of the stress that you experience is really due to your habits and that it doesn’t need to happen anymore.

I’m not saying that it’s your fault that you’re stressed; I’m just saying that if you’re still stressed and aren’t doing something about it, then you’re suffering needlessly. And it’s time to stop!

REMEMBER THIS: NOW is the only moment that matters. In fact, now is the only time that you’re really guaranteed in life. Yesterday is as faint as a dream, and there are no guarantees for tomorrow. So, if you’re allowing yourself to be swept up in the dance of stress, you’re wasting your precious now-ness.

I’m Not Joking Around Anymore… Seriously…. chuckle… Okay, So I Can’t Be TOO Serious

Okay, so here’s the lowdown on what you need to do right now to begin dealing with stress in a new way. I’m going to give you three steps to get out of the pattern of suffering due to stress and remake your life for the better.

First of all, I want you to read this article – You’re Already Empowered. It will tell you why you’ve already got the tools that you need to decrease stress in your life NOW.

Next, if you haven’t already, I want you to sign up for updated, posts, and news on this site. You’ll find a ton of tips, techniques, and tools to support you in learning how to meditate.

Finally I want you to stay tuned to a letter that I’ll be sending out this week to everyone who subscribes to this site telling you exactly how you can all but eliminate stress from your daily experience. It’s time to live a life where you, and not your circumstances, determine your state of health and mind.

Enough is enough.

You’re powerful.

You’ve got the power to make a change.

It’s time to take control of your life and live a stress-free (or at least a low-stress) life.