People deal with stress in different ways. But as nurses, you probably feel more stress and heightened anxiety because of your work and worrying about your friends and family.
What you’re going through is normal. However, as you already know, chronic stress won’t do anything good for your health. To help ease your anxiety and worries, take a few minutes to regain your focus and just chill.
Here are some ways to relieve stress and feel more relaxed without burning holes in your wallet.
Treat yourself to coffee
Head to your break room and get a cup of coffee. Its aroma can help make you feel better in an instant. Plus, it has caffeine!
Sniff a citrus scent
The smell of sweet orange may help improve your mood and decrease symptoms of anxiety. If you can’t find a real fruit, citrus essential oils will do.
Use visualisation
Guided imagery involves envisioning a scene that’s calm and peaceful for you.
Try this:
Carefully close your eyes and picture yourself hanging out on a beach. Think about the way the palm trees sway in the breeze. Hear the waves calmly lapping on the shore.
In a minute or two, you should feel calmer. If you can’t get into a scene by yourself, you can try downloading apps. You can find a lot of them online.
Write your worries away
Keeping a journal has reflective and meditative effects. It can help ease stress-related symptoms.
And if you start a gratitude journal, it can help you put things in proper perspective. You can write down the things that make you happy each day.
Take deep breaths
From the diaphragm, take a few deep breaths to reduce stress and anxiety. Research suggests that breathing deeply may help lower cortisol levels.
Although these tips work well in reducing stress, they aren’t meant to treat or resolve serious anxiety and stress disorders. They should be discussed with your therapist or physician.
What do you do to de-stress? Share with us in the comments.