April is National Stress Awareness Month, and a good opportunity to focus on overall stress reduction strategies anyone can enact.
With many obligations, such as family responsibilities, work-related duties, or if you’re working toward an academic degree, that’s accompanied by its own unique pressures. Then there are the unanticipated stresses that often occur: an unexpected expense when the refrigerator breaks down, the inconvenience and cost of a car repair, a surprise injury, or an upset in the family routine and lost time at work if a child gets sick.
For the dedicated providers and other team members who work in healthcare, and here at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (BRRH), stressors include meeting the evolving needs of patients and collaborating effectively with their peers to provide the best care.
The effects of stress harm both our mental and physical health, causing anxiety and depression, as well as contributing to health conditions like heart disease, digestive problems, and high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke. Stress can also keep us awake, robbing us of the sleep that supports good health.
Keys to managing stress well are also mental and physical. It’s important to eat well to tame stress, and daily physical activity is key as well. By “eating well,” we mean focusing on consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins like fish, legumes (beans and peas, for example), nuts and seeds, and healthy fats like olive oil. Try to avoid ultra processed foods like chips and cookies, deep fried foods, sodas and juices that are high in sugar, and foods high in salt.
It’s also important to stay away from the habits that we can sometimes turn to when stress hits — smoking, drinking too much alcohol to unwind, and binging on screen time.
For exercise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that we incorporate at least 150 minutes of physical activity into each week, which works out to 30 minutes, five days per week. If you get your exercise by choosing activities you enjoy, like taking a bike ride, hiking our beautiful mountains, or walking the dog around your neighborhood, you can meet this goal easily.
At BRRH, we are committed to helping our team members manage stress by providing education about burnout and its symptoms, which include irritability and fatigue. We work to make BRRH a workplace where team members can talk about their stress and we can help with brainstorming coping strategies, such as using spaces in the hospital provided for brief breaks, providing education about the restorative qualities of deep breathing, and knowing when to talk to coworkers about stepping away briefly after challenging events.
Since BRRH cultivates a culture of continuous improvement, we also motivate and encourage team members with positive recognition and “shout outs,” promote strong collaboration during high-volume shifts, work to eliminate interruptions when team members are performing critical tasks, and acknowledge effective teamwork within departments.
BRRH also supports workplace wellness with regard to stress challenges by getting feedback from staff about their stress reduction ideas, working on how we can implement them, and offering meaningful workplace wellness resources like counseling, flexible scheduling opportunities, and our Employee Wellness Programs.
The crucial difference these steps make in the daily operations of a hospital and the work of its team members is that it reduces errors, supports patient satisfaction, and enriches staff, making them feel supported and more likely to want to work at BRRH for the long term.
Taking the reins when it comes to managing stress makes for a healthier community and a safer hospital.
Tonia W. Hale, DNP, MAOM, BSN, RN, is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine. Hale is a proven leader with almost 40 years of progressive healthcare experience. A native of East Tennessee, she holds an associate’s degree in nursing from Walters State Community College, a baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum University, and a doctor of nursing practice degree in executive leadership from East Tennessee State University. Ms. Hale is currently a resident of Burnsville.