TheraEx Staffing Services provided this article.
It doesn’t matter if you are just beginning your profession as a travel nurse or are a seasoned veteran in the field. Anxiety doesn’t discriminate and can strike at any time without warning. The sheer responsibility of overseeing another person’s health, safety, and wellbeing can get rather nerve-racking! Sometimes you just need a quick fix for when you’re feeling particularly stressed and overwhelmed. Enter these 6 ways to calm anxiety, from creating a calming morning routine to taking a relaxing bath.
Create a Calming Morning Routine
Mornings – you either love them, or you loathe them. Chances are, you most likely loathe them. And we get it; you’re not alone! Mornings can be hectic and rushed, and they can set the stage for a bad day that feels like it will never end. Try creating a specific routine that you’re comfortable with, and it’ll give you a game plan that you can rely on when your brain feels like it’s running in a million circles and you cannot seem to focus on anything but the sound of your own racing heart. Try creating your own calming morning routine that includes an early morning walk, journaling, yoga, meditation, listening to a podcast, reading gossip blogs, or simply drinking a hot cup of herbal tea or coffee.
Listen to Your Favorite Music
Music is powerful. It can pump you up, boost your confidence, make you feel like you’re on top of the world, and nearly everything in between. Feel like you can run the world every time you hear Beyoncé? Or you’re a champion every time you hear Queen? Either way, putting on your favorite feel-good tune can put you in the mood you need to conquer the task at hand. Choose something that reflects how you want to feel throughout the day, blast it as loud as you can, and sing along to your heart’s content.
Incorporate Regular Exercise Into Your Routine
One of the best-known coping strategies for anxiety is exercise. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, getting your body moving is a great distraction. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “physically active people have lower rates of anxiety and depression than sedentary people,” and exercise can help the brain cope with stress better.
Create a Calming Commute Home
Once your shift has ended, you may face nursing shift anxiety and stress from the 8-12 hours you spent providing care to your patients, in addition to acting as a liaison to their worried families. On your commute home, try stopping for a treat to reward yourself with or listen to an audiobook or a podcast. As soon as you walk in the door, immediately change from your work clothes to a comfortable home outfit. Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.
Take a Relaxing Bath
Taking a bath can seem like a rare luxury for busy medical professionals. However, it is extremely beneficial to set aside time just for yourself to decompress from your stressful workday. In today’s hectic world, it’s easy to fall into the routine of showering after a stressful day of work, throwing on clothes, and heading to bed. But slowing down and taking a bath every once in a while can benefit both your physical and mental health. It can also help soothe muscle aches and pains from a long day at work.
Learn How to Separate Home and Work
You have a work-life. You have a home life. And you have, likely, forgotten how to keep them separate. As hard as it can be, try to forget that you’re a medical professional when you’re at home. Focus on relaxing, eating, and sleeping well. Go out and spend time with friends and family and try to forget all your work problems. Do all the things you love and leave your work problems at work.
We hope you found this article on pre and post-shift anxiety tips helpful. Do you have any remedies for pre and post-shift anxiety? Comment them below.
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