Transcript Stress Management for Healthcare Professionals

Stress Reduction
and Management
Stephanie Taddeo, LISW-S
Senior Manager of Development
and Mental Health
Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio
Defining Stress
 Essentially,
stress is the emotional
and physical response you
experience when you perceive an
imbalance between demands placed
on you and your resources at a time
when coping is important.
Why do we care?
 The
psychological and mental harm
caused by stress can adversely affect
quality of life
 It can cause a great deal of distress to you
and the people in your life
 It can affect your ability to work and
engage in your personal life
Everybody has stress, but our
reactions can be very different
 Some
stress is good. Stress is helpful
when it increases our ability to be alert
energized, switched on and resourceful in
facing challenges we enjoy or have to deal
with.
 Stress becomes unhelpful when it leaves
us feeling fatigued, tense, anxious, burnt
out or overwhelmed.
Everyone’s Unique!
 The
tipping point between helpful and
unhelpful stress is different for each of us
and can also depend on what has
happened and what is happening in our
lives.
Stress can be caused by:
 Family
or relationship problems
 Work/Caregiving
 Care receiving/illness
 Family member who is under stress
 The news
 Recent major changes
Physical Symptoms
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Pounding heart
Elevated blood
pressure
Sweaty palms
Tightness of chest
Aching neck, jaw
and back muscles
Headache
Chest pains
Abdominal cramps
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Nausea
Trembling
Sleep disturbance
Tiredness
Susceptibility to minor
illness
Itching
Easily startled
Forgetfulness
Thoughts
You may experience:
 Your mind racing or
going blank
 Not being able to ‘switch
off ’
 A lack of attention to
detail
 Your self esteem and
confidence plummeting
 Disorganized thoughts
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A diminished sense of
meaning in life
A lack of control or the
need for too much control
Negative self statements
and negative evaluation
Difficulty in making
decisions
A loss of perspective.
Thoughts (cont.)
You may be:
 Making ‘mountains out of molehills’
 Driving yourself too hard with ‘I must do
this, ought to do that, should do the other’
or demanding too much of others as well
as yourself.
Behaviors
You may:
 Become withdrawn and
not want to socialize
 Increase your alcohol,
nicotine or drugs intake
 Under eat or over eat
 Become accident prone
and careless
 Become impatient,
aggressive or compulsive
– pacing, fidgeting,
swearing, blaming,
throwing and hitting
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Work longer hours – not
take breaks, take work
home, procrastinate
with important projects,
take the ‘headless
chicken’ approach when
under pressure, and
manage time poorly
No longer have time for
leisure activities.
Feelings
You may feel:
 Irritable
 Angry
 Depressed
 Jealous
 Restless
 Anxious
 Unreal or hyper alert
 Unnecessarily guilty
 Panicked
Consequences of Stress
 Chronic
stress=Chronic fight or flight
Consequences of Stress (cont.)
Physical Illnesses such as
heart disease, migraines,
hypertension, IBS, Muscle,
back and joint pain, ulcers
Consequences of Stress (cont.)
Mental
Health Problems such
as anxiety, depression,
insomnia, feelings of
inadequacy
Ineffective Ways of Coping
 Drinking
 Eating
 Shopping
 Smoking
 ???
Effective Coping Strategies
 Exercise
 Prayer/meditation
 Socialization
 Breathing
 Yoga
 Humor
Effective Coping Strategies
(cont.)
 Recognizing

Control
Make it a great day vs. Have a great day
Change Your Mind
 Do
you believe stress is harmful for your
health?
 Belief stress response is negative led to
death
Effective Coping Strategies (cont.)
 Use
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your senses:
Listen to soothing music
Take a long hot bath or shower
Look at a beautiful picture or visualize a
calming scene in your mind
Soothing scents
Vegging out in front of the TV is not
enough!
 Use
what you know AND learn new
techniques
 Have a plan
Hope and Help
 Scale
back. Cut back on your obligations
when possible. While it may seem easier
said than done, take a close look at your
daily, weekly and monthly schedule and
find meetings, activities, dinners or chores
that you can cut back on or delegate to
someone else.
Hope and Help (cont.)
 Prepare.
Stay ahead of stress by
preparing for meetings or trips, scheduling
your time better, and setting realistic goals
for tasks both big and small. Stress
mounts when you run out of time because
something comes up that you didn't
account for — build in time for traffic jams,
for example.
Hope and Help (cont.)
 Reach
out. Make or renew connections
with others. Surrounding yourself with
supportive family, friends, co-workers, or
clergy and spiritual leaders can have a
positive effect on your mental well-being
and your ability to cope with stress.
Volunteer in your community.
Hope and Help (cont.)
 Take
up a hobby. It may seem cliche, but
when you engage in something enjoyable,
it can soothe and calm your restless mind.
Try reading, gardening, crafts, tinkering
with electronics, fishing, carpentry, music
— things that you don't get competitive or
more stressed out about.
Hope and Help (cont.)
 Relax.
Physical activity, meditation, yoga,
massage and other relaxation techniques
can help you manage stress. It doesn't
matter which relaxation technique you
choose. What matters is refocusing your
attention to something calming and
increasing awareness of your body.
Hope and Help (cont.)
 Get
enough sleep. Lack of sufficient
sleep affects your immune system and
your judgment and makes you more likely
to snap over minor irritations. Most people
need seven to eight hours of sleep a day.
Hope and Help (cont.)
 Get
professional help. If your stress
management efforts aren't helpful enough,
consult a professional. Chronic,
uncontrolled stress can lead to a variety of
potentially serious health problems,
including depression and pain.
Sweet Relief
 We
must learn to employ stress-reduction
techniques during stressful times.
 People, in general, can employ these
same techniques in their everyday lives.
 Learn to identify feelings. Practice selfevaluation.
In the Moment
 Controlled
breathing
 Guided imagery
 Stretching
 Muscle Relaxation
 Music Therapy
Social Support
 Help
create a positive, supportive
environment
 Practice positive feedback
 Foster a team approach
Perspective

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior
motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest
anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy
anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do
good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be
enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It
was never between you and them anyway.”
― Mother Teresa
Thank You!