chapter 13 | Work-Related Stress and Burnout 209deep breaths”? Practice taking a few slow, deep,
“belly” breaths. When faced with a stressful situa-
tion, people often hold their breath for a few sec-
onds. This reduces the amount of oxygen delivered
to the brain and causes them to feel more anxious.
Anxiety can lead to faulty reasoning and a feeling
of losing control. Often you can calm yourself by
taking a few deep breaths. Try it right now. Don’t
you feel better already?
Good Posture
A common response to pressure is to slump down
into your chair, tensing your upper torso and abdom-
inal muscles. Again, this restricts blood flow and the
amount of oxygen reaching your brain. Instead of
slumping, imagine a hook on top of your head
pulling up your spine; relax your abdomen, and look
up. Now, shrug your shoulders a few times to loosen
the muscles, and picture a sunny day at the beach or
a walk in the woods. Do you feel more relaxed?
Rest
Sleep needs vary with the individual. Find out how
much sleep you need, and work on arranging your
activities so that you get enough sleep. Fatigue in
the human body is no different than fatigue in
anything else. Starting out small, a fatigue fracture
may remain unnoticed until a catastrophic failure
occurs. Several studies indicate the consequences
of fatigue:
■Subjects who had gone 17–19 hours without
sleep ranked on testing as equal or worse than
someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.
■24% of 2259 adults surveyed cited fatigue as the
primary reason for a recent visit to a physician.
■16%–60% of all traffic accidents are related to
fatigue.
Fatigue is a multidimensional symptom. Origins of
fatigue may be biological, psychological, and/or
behavioral in nature. What can you do to ward off
workplace fatigue?
1.Spot the pattern. Be aware of a weakened state
or decrease in strength, an interruption in the
ability to perform activities of daily living, or an
overabundance in conditions or behaviors that
contribute to fatigue such as physical or mental
stress, sleep loss, or drug use.
2.Identify precursors. Are you pushing yourself
continuously beyond the healthy limits of your
physical and/or mental capabilities? You are
bound to encounter fatigue.
3.Recognize the signs. Emotional outbursts,
clumsiness, loss of sensory motor control,
weariness, and exhaustion may indicate fatigue.
4.Discern the results. Physical and mental disor-
ders, physical injuries, collapse, and even death
may be the catastrophic consequences of
fatigue. Be aware of the symptoms of fatigue in
yourself and others. Plan how to care for your-
self. Be supportive of your coworkers to safe-
guard against fatigue in others (Smith, 2004).Relaxation and Time Out
Many people have found that relaxation with
guided imagery or other forms of meditation
decreases the physiological and psychological
impact of chronic stress. Guided imagery has been
used in competitions for many years, in golf, ice
skating, baseball, and other sports. Research stud-
ies have shown that creation of a mental image of
the desired results enhances one’s ability to reach
the goal. Positive behavior or goal attainment is
enhanced even more if you imagine the details of
the process of achieving your desired outcome
(Vines, 1994). Box 13-5 lists useful relaxation
techniques.
Imagine taking the National Council License
Examination. You sit down at the computer, take a
few deep breaths, and begin. Visualize yourself
reading the questions, smiling as you identify the
correct answer, and hitting the Enter key after
recording your answer. You complete the examina-
tion, feeling conf ident that you were successful. A
week later, you go to your mailbox and f ind a letter
waiting for you: “Congratulations, you have passed
the test and are now a licensed registered nurse.” You
imagine telling your family and friends. What an
exciting moment!box 13-5
Useful Relaxation Techniques
Guided imagery
Yoga
Transcendental meditation
Relaxation tapes or music
Favorite sports or hobbies
Quiet corners or favorite places