What is stress?
Stress is the psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance in some way. When faced with a threat, whether to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” response. We all know what this stress response feels like: heart pounding in the chest, muscles tensing up, breath coming faster, every sense on red alert.

There is little doubt that our job is stressful. On any given day you might be asked to take on extra residents due to call outs; you might be confronted with an aggressive resident; you might need to comfort a family member or calm down a angry co worker; the bosses might be on a very public rampage about overtime costs or some other concern. You might feel under the nurses’ gun for paperwork or some other request. These are emotionally difficult situations.

Add to this the physical part of the work- the lifting, tugging, moving of residents. The constant walking and rare breaks can and do take their toll on our bodies. So, when we’re working short and the residents are feeling OUR stress, we GET MORE stress tossed back at us. It’s almost like a vicious cycle.

TEAMWORK: The Best Stress Buster
One of the best ways to deal with environmental stress to have a good solid team to work with.
Many aides take employment at facilities where teamwork is not happening. Change is slow. Set the example. Be helpful and positive. Model the behavior you want others to follow. Some aides will reject these actions…let them be. They are threatened by teamwork. Many others will gladly accept the help and will follow suit right back. If you’re working at a facility where teamwork is a foreign concept, make it not so foreign. Just make it a part of how you work. You will be amazed at how far it spreads and how willing many others will be to this.

We should all take pains to form good working relationships with our peers. We don’t have to like the people we work with; they don’t have to be our friends. But we do have to work with them, and it’s best to remember this. When new aides join the unit, it benefits everyone to welcome them with smiles and a pleasant attitude; to train them well and correctly; and above all, to show them how the TEAM works together and not on separate paths.

When there is a strong team, stress is less a problem. People who feel supported and backed up, experience less stress. When we have others we can relate to, vent to- it makes coping with the environment easier. Strong teams trust one another. Strong teams have a common goal- and in the nursing homes for CNA’s this would be to provide the best care under any circumstance. Strong teams hold each member up when times call for it. All nursing home leaders should strive to have these strong teams on each unit.

The charge nurse should be considered a member of the team and it’s leader. The nurse leads the medical aspects of the team, of course. More than anything else, the nurse should make her or himself available as a resource to the aides. Someone they can come to when having that bad day; someone they can talk with about problems at home that are impacting work…a person aides can trust with private or personal information. Someone who will go to battle for them.

TAKING CARE OF YOU: The Other Important Stress Buster
The way we experience stress can be controlled. If you take care of yourself, it’s easier to deal with the physical effects of stress. It can’t be said enough: Eat right, exercise and get enough sleep! It works wonders. Think about it: You wake up late because you didn’t get to sleep until 3am; you’re late for work…and didn’t have time to eat breakfast…you’re tired, hungry and soon, grouchy. Being preoccupied with this, you tense up and your muscles in your back won’t be cooperating…you are at a higher risk of hurting yourself. You’re creating the factors that make for a very bad day!

The solution to your bad day? YOU. And good planning.

Create the situations that will allow you to get a good nights sleep. Only you know how many hours you need…some of us get by with 4 or 5 hours and others need 12..whatever. Plan your time so you get enough. Purchase an alarm clock- one that has a battery back up! Allow enough time to grab something to eat- even a slice of toast and a cup of juice is better than nothing. Having an empty stomach can add stress to our body in so many ways.

I’ve heard many an aide state that they don’t need to exercise because the work we do is enough. To a certain point this is true…but our work doesn’t replace a general fitness program. I’m not going to push readers to join a gym or make up some extensive workout plan (although this would be ideal), but I am going to suggest a few things that we can all do, cheaply, that will have a positive effect:

1) Stretch: EVERY DAY, several times a DAY, before you go to work…a good time to do this is after a shower or bath. Stretching leg and back muscles is very important.

2) Go out for walks. Every day. At least a mile, preferably two. Walk at a brisk pace…build up to this slowly if you haven’t done it before.

3) See your doctor on a regular basis. Get your physicals and shots and exams. And don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment when you’ve not been feeling well- especially if you’ve had a fever, a bad cold, a cough, a sore back. Your doctor can help you figure out if there’s an illness or other problem. Don’t let “things” go on too long.

Emotional Health- Another Important factor With Stress:
Our attitude effects much in our lives. Really. A good attitude will show outwards as just that. Having a positive outlook on our job, our residents, peers, bosses and others will also impact each of us. When people are generally happy and content, they manage to stay grounded during times of upheaval. When we have good relationships with the people we work with we can expect good things in return. Those with sunny dispositions are just more fun to be around. We all know this.

Be mature. This means acting like a grown up…most grown ups accept responsibility for their actions. Being mature, in regards to stress management, means doing those things that will give others reasons to respect you and want to work with you. Keep your absences and tardiness rates down to a bare minimum; offer to help your co workers with tasks they haven’t completed if you’re done. Be a person that others can rely on. Be friendly and cooperative.

At the same time, don’t allow others to walk all over you or otherwise take advantage of you. Stand up for yourself when you need to, in a friendly but firm manner. Refrain from workplace gossip! Listening to this stuff can cause more grief and stress than many realize. The culture and politics of any nursing home are usually pretty bad- don’t add to it or worse, be a part of it.

Know your limits. This is probably one of the least talked about factors. Everyone has a threshold they reach, where they are no longer able to control situations. For aides, this often involves dealings with residents. We get frustrated and angry and exasperated. We have other things to do, and time is short. So we take on a negative or demeaning manner and things escalate. The residents act out or fall or in some other way REACT to our negativity. Times like this create more stress than most others. If we know what triggers lead us to these moments, we can anticipate them. And plan for them. Count the numbers of events that cause you stress, and take an honest look at how your own actions add to the situation. Learn from this. Next time you find yourself in a similar situation, remember this self assessment and act accordingly.