The US is crying out for nurses of all different specialties due to the declining health of the nation as well as an increased elderly population. Studying to be a nurse and helping the increasing US health crisis is an admirable feat that you should be extremely proud of, but due to the nature of the work involved and the length of study required, it can be an incredibly stressful time. You want to make sure that you make the most of your nursing studies, so read this article to stop the stress from winning and ruining what could lead to life-changing career prospects.
Learn from Home
One of the most stressful things about studying for higher level education is that finding the perfect course for you often requires a lot of searching and even travelling around the country to make sure that you have chosen the right school and will genuinely enjoy studying on the campus. This can be a huge source of stress as the constant travel will not only be financially demanding but can be very physically demanding also.
For some people, moving away from their friends and family can be a source of stress all on its own as being homesick can cause a lot of emotional pain. If you’re feeling an immense amount of pressure and stress for these reasons, then it can easily deter you from achieving the education and career that you have been dreaming of. So, don’t bother with all the stress of travelling and moving away, as there are tons of online courses that provide amazing neonatal nursing education without creating the additional stress of moving across the country or even commuting every day. With online courses, you can receive the same education without the travelling stress, which is perfect if you have other commitments like children or a job that you can’t afford to lose.
Take Time to Relax
With a college course as long, intense and demanding as nursing, it can be easy to get into the habit of studying 24/7 without taking any time for yourself to relax and enjoy any hobbies or passions. There are a lot of reasons why this can cause stress. For instance, if you are hauled up in your room studying all the time, it’s likely that you will barely have the time to see anyone, including friends and family, and you can begin to feel incredibly isolated. As well as this, by doing nothing but studying, you are far more susceptible to a burnout, and this can do more harm for your studies than good.
It’s important that you accurately and effectively balance your time between studying and relaxing so that you don’t burn yourself out but also don’t neglect your studies. One of the best ways that you can take time for yourself to relax is having a calming and relaxing spa night for yourself. Draw a nice, hot bath, light some candles and lie back and forget about all your worries. If you want to take it one step further, you can even apply a facemask to make sure that you’re completely rejuvenated and ready for anything that life throws at you.
Work it Out
Literally! Going to the gym and working out your core muscles is an amazing way to relieve any stress and tension that may be building not only in your muscles but also in your mind. Stress can cause physical pain such as stiff and tense muscles, so working out at the gym can help to relieve this pain and loosen up any tightness you might be feeling. As well as this, it’s a great, healthy way to release any anger or annoyance that you’re feeling without taking it out on others or even yourself.
As well as helping the physical symptoms of stress, a good work out is great for your mind and can even have a significant positive affect on your mental health. When you exercise, your body secretes chemicals called endorphins that can create a euphoric effect similar to that of some opioids. A bonus of working out at a gym rather than in your room is that you are physically removing yourself from the situation that is stressing you out, allowing you time to cool off before you reenter the situation. So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress and negative feelings, don’t let it get you down, and work it all out in a healthy and positive way.
Talk it Out
This may sound overly simple, but talking to someone about your worries and problems is proven to provide relief, and having a different perspective examine the situation may even solve some of the problems that you feel are unsolvable. As well as talking about your problems, when you are stressed, it can sometimes be extremely helpful to talk to someone about something completely different. Whilst you shouldn’t ignore and run away from your problems entirely, if you are getting upset and stressed to an extreme point, then forgetting your problems for a while and talking about something completely different can do a world of good.
If you don’t have any friends or family that you would be able to call, there are always other options for you to consider. For example, there are plenty of hotlines that are available to call 24/7, and if you aren’t comfortable with talking on the phone, there are even some services available that allow you to converse with someone through text or online. If you would prefer to speak to someone face to face, then there are multiple counseling services available that you can access through self-referrals, a visit to your doctor or even services available through your college.
Try Some Natural Treatments
If you feel as though you can’t cope with the stress without some extra help but don’t want to consider going on medication, there are plenty of natural supplements that are full of vitamins and minerals that you can also consider. For example, lemon balm is famous for its anti-anxiety qualities and is easily accessible at your local drug store or anywhere that supplies herbal treatment. Another great, natural way to try and tackle your stress and anxiety is by drinking green tea. This tea has been drank in parts of Asia for centuries for its healing and relaxing qualities, but it is now becoming widely popular in the west, so it is very easy to find, and you can even get it at your local supermarket.
If you find that your sleep schedule is getting disrupted due to the stress, it can not only disrupt your studies as you will be too tired focus but also your mood due to the lack of energy you are experiencing. A great, natural treatment to try for sleep deprivation is valerian root. This herb is famous all over the world for the tranquilizing effect that is given off by the valerenic acid.
Stay Off the Junk Food
When we’re overwhelmed with stress and other mental conditions such as depression that can be common when studying an intensive course like nursing, we can have two initial ways to cope that involve food. The first is that we can stop eating altogether, which is extremely bad for your health and can even make your studies worse as you physically won’t have the energy needed to focus and throw yourself into your studies like you want to.
The other response is the complete opposite and is called binge eating. A lot of people partake in binge eating because it can feel as though you are filling a void inside yourself by eating so much. In short, it can make you feel better for a short amount of time. One of the main problems with binge eating, however, is that more often than not, the food that is being binged is unhealthy junk food. Whilst it may give you a quick energy boost and positive thoughts, overeating junk food is incredibly bad for both your physical and mental health as it causes conditions such as obesity, high cholesterol and even has a factor in causing depression. Both of these coping mechanisms for stress and depression are not appropriate and can have detrimental results in terms of your health, so try and employ some of these other methods instead.
Nursing is one of the most intensive and demanding courses that you can apply to, but it is also one of the most rewarding when you have earned your diploma and can start making a difference in the world. Studying for any course can be stressful if you don’t approach it the right way, so make sure that you try some of these easy tips and tricks to successfully manage your stress and make the most of your studies. Stress can be hard to beat, but there are lots of resources, natural supplements and simple lifestyle changes that you can make to alleviate the stress and finish up top of the class.
