Nurses are considered the unsung modern heroes of medicine.
They are the first responder for a patient in need with an arguably life-saving role, but this is not without its challenges: nurses work long days and deal with intense pressure and manage stress.
It can be difficult to maintain one’s mental & physical health while continuing to care for patients during a busy schedule.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways that nurses can stay mentally healthy.
Getting Into the Right Nursing School
For anyone who wants to be a nurse, choosing the right nursing school can mean the difference between feeling fulfilled in their career and being miserable.
Before you even look at the school’s ranking, however, you should spend some time talking to alumni.
You can talk to people who are considering going to that exact program and ask them what it was like, ask them how their experiences were.
It’s important for nurses to talk about their career aspirations with family members and close friends, too.
Each school should be able to give you an idea of how your studies will go, what’s involved, and the process for going into the different fields. A good example is the process of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, click here to read the guide put together by Marymount University.
Nursing Student Mental Health Concerns and Solutions
As a nursing student, your stress levels will be high.
The pressure of school, classes, and clinicals can take a toll on your wellbeing. With the right preparation, you can minimize your stress and stay mentally healthy.
Whether you’re studying to become a family nurse or graduate nursing student, or if you’re thinking about changing paths and going into practice, you need to learn how to stay mentally healthy while working long hours in your career.
There are a number of ways that nurses can stay mentally healthy.
Here’s how you can form a plan to cope with nursing student mental health concerns and find your mental health balance.
Self-Care
Planning in self-care is essential to your mental health.
It is vital that you take time for yourself when you can and make plans for how to take care of yourself.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or have trouble sleeping or eating, it is essential to stop immediately and take care of yourself.
Take a break from work, find a quiet place, go for a walk, or simply stretch your legs!
You may feel like this is not enough but there are ways that you can plan ahead so that self-care becomes part of your routine. For instance, you can take an hour off each day to plan your meals and schedule them with tasks such as ironing your clothes or making housekeeping lists.
Community Support
Getting support from your community is essential to keeping up your strength and mental health.
Nurses need to make sure that they are supported by the people around them, this includes family, friends, and coworkers.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, it is crucial to make sure that there is someone who can be counted on for support and encouragement.
Make A Plan for Your Careers And Your Family Life
When choosing a career path as a nurse, you need to be as mentally healthy as you possibly can be.
A plan for your own care and mental health is essential if you want to stay mentally healthy in nursing school and in the profession of nursing itself.
Set Aside Time for Mental Health
Have you ever heard of a “mental health break“? This is a term used to describe taking time for yourself to relax, soothe your mind, and recharge.
As soon as you feel overwhelmed or stressed, take a mental health break for a few minutes.
It does not have to be too long or last too long — as little as 10 minutes can do the trick! Try taking a walk around the block, going for a short drive, or having a rest in bed.
Get Out of the Clinical Environment
Nurses need to try to get out of the clinical environment as much as they can.
It’s important to keep your career focused on volunteering, taking classes or even traveling. The more outside experiences you have, the better you will feel mentally.
Take a class at a community college or university that interests you; learn something new; travel across the country — if you can!
Read And Learn About Mental Health and Your Career
Read books about mental health and how other nurses deal with their illnesses or use online resources or books about mental health for nurses employed in hospitals and healthcare centers.
The more educated you are about the real risks and issues with stress and mental health care as a nurse, the stronger you will be able to be.
Go To the Doctor
Nurses need to ensure that they can maintain a healthy mental state.
If you find that you are suffering from mental health disorders, it’s crucial for your wellbeing that you go see a doctor.
From depression to anxiety, there are a wide variety of mental health issues and disorders nurses may suffer from.
If the symptoms become too strong, or if they force you to change your behaviors in drastic ways, it is imperative that you see a doctor.
Turn To Your Peers
Nursing is an incredibly stressful career because it requires 24-hour dedication and other nurses’ help to get through each day.
However, when nurses work together, they have the advantage of sharing their knowledge and supporting one another throughout their career path, both in class and at the workplace.
Learn About Your Rights as A Nurse
It is important to recognize your legal rights as a nurse and how they influence your role in the hospital.
There are laws regarding time off, pay, insurance, and employment that you must be aware of as a nurse.
The American Nurses Foundation has an excellent resource to read on Nursing Rights.
Be Aware of The Stigma Around Mental Health As A Nurse
It may not seem important because you’re just a nurse in the hospital, but it can be crucial for your mental health that you understand the stigma around mental health and mind wellness in nursing.
You may be unaware that nurses have a high rate of depression and suicide of any profession.
If you don’t know about the stigma and learn about it, it’s very likely that this knowledge will be able to help you.
Nurse Job-Related Mental Health Concerns
Knowing the risks and issues of being a nurse isn’t just about staying mentally healthy for your own sake, it’s also about taking care of your patients in the hospital.
Nurses need to be aware of their physical conditions and their mental states because they are crucial factors in providing good care.
If you believe that your job is putting a strain on your health, there are various options you can take to help yourself.
As a nurse, you will probably be dealing with mental health problems on a regular basis.
The leading cause of suicide for nurses and other healthcare professionals is due to factors at work (stress).
Consequences of Poor Nurse Mental Health
There are many ways that poor mental health can have major consequences on a nurse’s career and life.
Depending on the severity of the mental health issue, it can impact three main areas:
- Blame and guilt
- Inability to focus and perform
- Mental health disorders
These consequences can include a change of career or even physical illness due to mental health issues.
It can also lead to poor work performance, substance abuse and drug dependence (which harms your professional life and the quality of care you provide to your patients), and even job loss for nurses.
Fortunately, there are many ways a nurse can minimize these negative effects — if they become aware of them.
How Poor Mental Health Can Affect the Care Nurses Provide
It is important to realize the ways mental health issues can affect a nurse’s job.
Nurses who have poor mental health may not be able to perform their job well. This can lead to a lowering of the quality of care that they give their patients and even contribute to errors in care (including medical mistakes).
If nurses become anxious and worried about their own stresses, they may not be able to focus on their patients’ needs adequately. So a nurse must stay healthy and fight the anxiety to treat their patient properly.
This can lead to misdiagnosis, an overall decline in quality of care, and potentially even death for patients depending on the severity of the situation.
How to Stay Mentally Healthy and Positive as a Nurse
As a nurse, you know that staying mentally healthy is important to prevent getting sick and to provide good care to your patients. Plus, it’s good for your physical health and wellbeing.
At the same time, nursing can be one of the most stressful careers you could pursue, especially if you are in a high-pressure environment like a hospital.
However, by knowing the risks of mental health problems as a nurse and taking steps to avoid them, you can succeed in nursing school and have a long career as a nurse.
