It is not even noon on Monday and the other nurse and I have already managed to send 4 people to the emergency room and 2 for other assessments and testing… and probable hospital admissions. #manicmonday There is no other explanation for it. Our phone lines are blowing up and every patient walking through the door seems to have a whole slew of problems. It is like every sentence coming out of their mouths is one of those statements that you are taught in school to immediately have sirens going off in your head. Before I even left for work I had dumped half a bottle of cumin into the chili had in the crock pot for a dinner tonight and my dog was refusing to go to the bathroom.
I’m a nurse… which in turn often means I’m an adrenaline junky. I thrive in environments that are high demand and high stress, but when I crash, I really crash. But I have also come to learn that I handle these situations best when I take time for myself. This means not booking up every week night and not overbooking the weekend. But some weekends life just explodes… and this was one of those such weekends.
So how do I plan to recover from this manic Monday and overpacked weekend?
1. I take it one moment at a time. I’ve learned in the last year that sometimes just don’t look ahead. Be prepared, but don’t focus on the next moments. Take it one moment at a time.
2. I pray and ask others to prayer. Whether its prayer or meditation or whatever it is that calms you down… make a conscious effort to do it.
3. I make sure I get at least a walk in. Exercise calms me down and helps me to process. So when I get home you best be betting I’ll be circling the neighborhood with my dog.
4. I hug. Research is coming out how much hugs help you in so many aspects but also in feeling loved and in reducing stress.
5. I step back and take perspective. I’m given perspective every day because of the population I work with. I’m not minimizing the amount of stress I feel but I am putting it in perspective. Yes, I’m stressed but at this moment I’m not dying, nor is a loved one dying, and I’m considered “healthy”. I’m not worrying about a possible GI bleed or heart attack. I’m just dealing with the every day comings and going of life and by perspective my stress level can quickly change.
So how do you deal with stress?
Until next time I’ll be singing it is just another Manic Monday….