When stress is an occupational hazard... .
SUMITHA works as a staff nurse in the emergency ward of a multi-specialty hospital. She deals with life and death situations on a daily basis. Most days are hectic and she is constantly exposed to volatile, highly stressful and emotional situations. Irregular sleeping hours, frequent encounters with tragedy, stress and the overall mental demands of the job puts continuous physical and mental strain on her. Stress for Smitha, is an occupational hazard.
Occupational stress results from continuous negative harmful stress or distress. The more obvious forms of occupational stress are severe stress reactions from exposure to trauma at work. This is referred to as critical incident stress. Occupations that see and work with trauma include the paramedical and health care professionals, community care workers, and police, fire fighters and prison officers.
Professionals working in such high-stress careers are often subject to chronic tensions and trauma as they have very little control over the environment, the pace of work or the kind of circumstances they deal with. 'Action-oriented' stress management strategies (E.g.: Taking control of the environment, identifying and eliminating stressors, etc.,) therefore can do very little in such cases. The best approaches here may be the rational thinking strategies and the building of mental `buffers against stress'.
Be positive and think positive, loving thoughts
Part of being in control is in knowing that you can handle whatever is thrown at you. Compile a list of your skills and accomplishments to remind yourself how capable you are. A decade of study at the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behaviour led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson found that choosing your specific thoughts and emotions can permanently change the working of your brain. When participants practiced feeling love and compassion, their brains went into action, connecting and building new circuitry at high speed, making them more effective and better able to cope in crisis
Adopting a healthy lifestyle means that you can concentrate better and are more energetic in what you do. Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol, nicotine, and high sugar foods, which can set off chemical reactions that can increase stress and anxiety levels. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise bolsters brain-nurturing chemicals, producing serotonins and improving your reaction time, creativity and memory retention. These chemicals called endorphins also give you a feeling of happiness and positively affect your overall sense of well-being.
Get help from your `support network' - friends, co-workers, family and other people who can help you handle stressful situations. People working in dangerous, or high stress jobs often share an intense bond with their peers and co-workers and turn to them as a source of strength and support in critical or stressful situations.
Your lifestyle will affect the way you experience stress. So can religion, if research is to be believed. Several reports indicate that people who are intrinsically spiritual and those who believe in prayer are better able to cope with crisis and have lower blood pressure than those who use alternate stress relievers.
Finally, try to achieve a good work life balance. Do ensure that whatever little time you spend away from work is pleasant, enjoyable, and fun. By offsetting the unpleasant, stressful events in your life with happy and enjoyable events, you make life more tolerable. Better work-life balance also helps in building stamina to withstand and survive intensely stressful situations over the long term.
BINDU SRIDHAR
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