Do you get frustrated more often over every little happening in your life? Do you find it difficult to deal with your mood swings? Rest assured, this blog will help you out!
In a study conducted in 2018, over 92% of nurses reported experiencing moderate to very high-stress levels—nursing is undoubtedly a stressful and demanding profession. Working long hours, dealing with difficult patients, medical emergencies, and the trauma associated with patients, among other things, can fray your nerves. Moreover, exposure to prolonged sessions of stress may take a toll on your physical and psychological well-being. Furthermore, stress may impede your work productivity, deplete your energy, and influence critical thinking. However, incorporating a few healthy hobbies into your rigorous routine can help you stave off stress and the ills associated with it.
Hobbies provide the most productive ways to channel your thoughts away from work. And the benefits they bring about make them more than worth the time they take. Read on to discover a few stress-busting hobbies to unwind from stress without affecting your work life.
Learning
Most people don’t consider learning as a hobby. However, the pursuit of knowledge is the worthiest of all hobbies out there. You can find tons of free online and offline resources that you can utilize to learn more. You may learn a new language, research a topic that interests you, or enhance your skills. As a practicing registered nurse, you can utilize your free time to boost your nursing skills while keeping stress symptoms at bay. For this purpose, get enrolled in any top-ranked DNP online programs and fast-track your doctorate. Online DNP programs focus on student-paced learning. It means you can get advanced training in specific nursing skills and earn academic credentials anytime and anywhere in the world without burdening yourself. Learning what you like will keep you stress-free and take your nursing career to the next level.
Knitting
Yes, you heard it right! Knitting is an effective stress buster. Knitting helps you zone out of all the stressors from work and stay stress-free. Winding yarn and clattering needles can help you get remarkable benefits like preventing burnout, from increased cognitive functioning to increasing mood. Moreover, research shows that knitting is instrumental in combating compassion fatigue in oncology nurses. Nurses in this specialty are prone to stress and burnout as their patients are still fighting chronic illnesses at the end of the day. Try knitting as a hobby and see what it offers once and for all.
Exercising
Let’s face it, the idea of working out after an immensely hectic and taxing day might not even rove around your head. However, you can never deny the fact that exercising is a tried-and-true stress-relieving hobby. It improves blood flow in the body, but exercising also tames the excess cortisol levels in the blood. With lesser stress hormones in the blood, you will feel better over time. As a nurse, you might not have enough time to indulge comfortably in challenging hobbies. But consider squeezing in at least 15 minutes of regular exercise at your convenience in your busy routine. Exercising also boosts endorphin production that may keep your mood elevated throughout the hectic shifts. Surprisingly, exercising can help you start your day with a pleasant attitude and lead to effective patient-nurse interactions that aid in the patient’s recovery.
Journaling
Journaling is a great hobby for nurses to outpour all their stresses and work-related woes on a piece of paper. It is also considered an essential tool for developing critical-thinking skills. A study showed that journaling might enhance a nurse’s compassion, decrease burnout and compassion fatigue symptoms. So, whenever you feel like you are carrying too much on your mind, take out your journaling notebook, and let all that mess slip away on paper. Journaling may also provide you with a foundation for guidance, self-awareness, creativity, and spiritual development. When your mind is less chaotic, You’ll be able to give each patient your full attention and cater to their specific needs.
Arts
Even if you are not artistically inclined, delving into an art activity can work wonders for your health. Similarly, crafting is a fun way to unwind from the hustles of a nurse’s life. According to studies, coloring mandalas, art therapy, and even drawing are therapeutic. They reduce anxiety and fight negative moods. There are numerous ways of creating art to soothe your frazzled nerves, express yourself, or strengthen your inner peace. These may include painting something beautiful, creating or coloring a mandala, or joining an art class. If all else fails, embrace your inner doodler, and blow off all the stress bringing you down as a nurse.
Music
Music can both entertain and heal people. You can easily realize the therapeutic effect of music by thinking of times when you can’t find your headphones. Yes! Music tames stress and anxiety, improves focus, relieves pain, and more. How can music benefit you as a nurse? After long shifts, disagreements with colleagues, or even if you want to avoid situations and conversations that trigger stress, music will help you out. Incorporate quiet music in your nursing activities like charting during long shifts or break periods. This technique will provide you with motivation or relaxation, depending on whatever you need in the situation. A pro tip is to learn a musical instrument in your spare time. It will benefit both your sensory reflexes and breathing. Additionally, you may discover one of your hidden talents you didn’t know you had.
Conclusion
The job of a nurse comes with unprecedented challenges. Nurses go through considerable stress from long shifts to medical emergencies, huge patient loads, and taxing routines. Countering the effects of stress can save you from developing many physical and psychological disorders. Maintaining a hobby can help you tackle the stress in good time. It will get your mind off the stressors and maintain your focus on the job without getting overwhelmed. This article mentions some stress-busting hobbies that may align with your busy schedule. Go through the ones mentioned above and find the one that piques your interest. It will help if you remember that maintaining a hobby takes time and patience. Alternatively, try each of these one-after-another to find the one that busts your stress bubble effectively.
