11 tips for reducing stress on World Mental Health Day

Healthcare can be a stressful and demanding profession. In fact, a 2023 survey of U.S. workers found it's the most stressful industry to work in among 10 sectors. However, that doesn't mean your health should come second to your job as a healthcare professional or HCP. October 10, 2024, marks the 23rd annual World Mental Health Day, initiated in 1992 to increase awareness of mental health education and combat social stigmas related to mental illness. It's the perfect time to check in on your overall health and well-being.

Finding the time to practice self-care can be challenging for busy HCPs, but everyone benefits when nurses and other healthcare workers focus on their own needs. Being mentally healthy means staying energized and passionate about your work, which translates into better-quality patient care. There's a well-researched link between nurse well-being and the frequency of medical errors. The more resilience and emotional endurance nurses have, the better patient outcomes result.

HCPs Have Considerable Mental Health Challenges

Mental health remains a challenge for many HCPs. A survey of healthcare professionals in Vivian Health's 2024 Future of Healthcare Workforce Report uncovered several troubling trends:

• Distressingly, 72% of survey respondents reported substantial job burnout, rating their burnout level at a 3, 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale. 
• ​​Almost half of surveyed HCPs (47%) reported experiencing violence against themselves or their coworkers in 2023. Violence can be a considerable trigger of job-related stress.
• More than half of healthcare workers in the Millennial and Gen Z generations, which cover ages 18-42, reported experiencing clinical depression in the past year. The older generations aren't far behind, with 43% of Gen X (ages 42-58) and 36% of Baby Boomers (ages 59-68) in the workforce reporting the same.

To help support you on your professional journey, Vivian put together some tips and mental health resources for nurses and HCPs to use on World Mental Health Day and every day.

11 Stress-Management Tips for Better Mental Health

In honor of World Mental Health Day, Vivian Health wants to put the spotlight on the well-being of HCPs. However, nurses and allied health professionals must look after themselves year-round, not just one day a year. Read the tips below and explore ways to add mental health and wellness practices into your daily routine.

1. Focus on the basics of healthy living

Self-care fundamentals are repeated so often and may feel so obvious that they're sometimes the most easily overlooked. However, they're essential to personal well-being. They include eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, reducing alcohol consumption, engaging in periodic exercise, and getting a full night's sleep as often as possible. 

Establishing certain routines can help HCPs check the boxes of these self-care basics. For instance, meal prep and scheduling adequate sleep are just two of our 7 tips to help HCPs prepare for their next shift and mitigate pre-shift anxieties. Consider all of the following as routine aspects of self-care:

• Plan meals and snacks for the week so they're ready to go.
• Put away your device and get that extra hour of sleep.
• Mix in going for a walk instead of sitting on the couch.
• Spend time pursuing things you're passionate about.
• Schedule periodic "weekends"—whatever days of the week you can—and longer-term vacations to rest and recharge.

2. Do something for yourself

Setting aside time for self-care may seem impossible when you're balancing work, family, and other commitments. However, even just 20 minutes out of your day can help you deal with anxiety as a nurse or HCP:

• Schedule some "me-time" into your daily routine: Whether it's an early morning walk to watch the sunrise, a bubble bath, or quiet time to journal before bed, slot the activity into your schedule. Don't let your personal time fall to the bottom of your to-do list.
• Take a mental health day: If you feel anxiety climbing, hit the pause button and take a break from the stress before you're overwhelmed. Spending time with family, going on a hike, or having lunch with friends can help put things into perspective.
• Take an extended break: One perk of travel nursing is you can arrange assignments to suit your schedule. Consider setting aside a couple of weeks between contracts to travel and explore and give yourself time to rejuvenate. 

3. Acknowledge your emotions

Intense emotions, such as sadness, grief, frustration, and anger, don't disappear if you ignore them. Acknowledging your feelings and finding a healthy way to channel them is vital. Avoiding emotions only puts more strain on your physical and mental health. 

Some ways you can process, address or release your feelings include:

• Talking to a friend, family member, or colleague.
• Writing in a journal, drawing, or pursuing another creative outlet.
• Speaking to a counselor or other health professional about effective coping mechanisms.

4. Audit your media consumption and device use

In today's digital age, constant media and device exposure can heighten stress through emotional triggers and doom-laden messages. To mitigate this, set boundaries for social media use: limit scrolling time, unfollow anxiety-inducing accounts and designate specific times for checking updates. Use Focus or Quiet modes on your phone, choose reputable news sources, and avoid distressing content, especially before bed.

Incorporate digital detox periods to give your mind a break from screens and balance your time with offline activities like reading, communing with nature, or pursuing hobbies. These practices can lead to healthier media habits year-round.

5. Create a personal haven to destress

Creating a personal haven can be a powerful means of reducing stress and restoring your well-being. For example, a so-called "She Shed" or "Man Cave"—a concept available to all gender identities despite the names—is a dedicated personal space specifically designed for relaxation, creativity, or solitude—away from the demands of daily life. Whether it's a cozy corner in your home or basement, a garden retreat, or a repurposed shed in your backyard, this space becomes your sanctuary.

In this personal haven, you can engage in activities that bring you peace and joy, like reading, crafting, meditating, or simply enjoying a cup of tea or beverage of choice in silence and solitude. Fill it with things that soothe and inspire you. Let it serve as a physical boundary from stressors, allowing your mind and body to recharge. 

6. Embrace mindfulness and meditation

More Americans are discovering the benefits of meditation. A National Health Interview Survey found that as of 2022, 17.4% of American adults practiced meditation, up from just 7.5% in 2002.

With meditation moving into the mainstream, it's easier than ever to try it at home. Read these tips on incorporating meditation into your routine and suggestions for apps to download to help you get started.

Closely related to meditation is the concept of mindfulness, an awareness of and concentration on how your mind and body feel in the present moment. When you get caught up in stress, it's easy to be overwhelmed. Practicing mindfulness helps ground you in the moment so you remain focused on the present instead of worrying about the past or future.

For example, concentrate on your breath and how you're feeling. You might realize you need to unclench your jaw or relax your shoulders. Acknowledge your surroundings, such as a tree outside a window or the breeze on your face. These simple practices can help nurture positive thinking and gratitude, relieving some of the external stress you're feeling.

7. Connect and commiserate with colleagues

Don't underestimate the power of a supportive work environment. Sharing experiences, challenges, and successes with colleagues can provide a sense of camaraderie and understanding. Sometimes, talking to someone who "gets it" can significantly reduce stress. Creating or joining peer support groups where professionals can share experiences and coping strategies can alleviate stress by providing a sense of community. 

There's also one kind of colleague who tends to get it even more than others and has the experience to help you deal with it: a mentor in your profession. Consider talking to one about your stress or work-related depression. 

8. Understand the unique risks of compassion fatigue 

Caring for others in distress can take a toll on healthcare providers who provide empathy and compassion. Being unable to provide compassionate care to our patients and their loved ones during times of need means that the care doesn't meet our professional standards. Compassion fatigue can strike in any healthcare setting, though it's more common in emotionally intensive work settings like hospice care. 

Identifying compassion fatigue and addressing it is crucial to your overall well-being. For instance, you can set professional boundaries by "taking a pause." Briefly pausing before responding to requests or situations that may test your boundaries allows you to assess whether the request aligns with your professional responsibilities and personal limits. Use this time to formulate a clear and assertive response, ensuring your boundaries are respected while maintaining professionalism and empathy.

9. Recognize the signs of burnout and manage them

Burnout can happen to anyone who doesn't recognize and address compassion fatigue, but it's also common in fast-paced, high-intensity healthcare settings like emergency departments. Burnout isn't the result of a single stressful day or one high-intensity week, but rather the accumulation of long-term effects from a work environment misaligned with your individual needs. 

To address burnout, you may have to make a substantial change. First, perform a self-assessment and consider whether aspects of your workplace, shift schedule, specialty, or other factors contribute to your burnout. Then, explore ways to change your work environment, such as switching from night to day shifts, changing from a high-intensity specialty to something less stressful, or perhaps even changing facilities or employers. 

As with compassion fatigue, you can mitigate burnout by setting boundaries. This form of self-care may require you to say "no" to overtime shift requests, even when your facility faces coverage gaps. It may be hard to say "no" when patients need you, but you won't be at your best if you overextend yourself. Advocate for your own wellness and establish work boundaries if you're already at your limits.

10. Tap into mental health resources for nurses and HCPs

Sometimes, you simply need more support than you can provide yourself or elicit from colleagues. Take advantage of these and other resources available to get you through difficult times:

• Employer-sponsored Employee Assistance Programs typically offer counseling services and treatment referrals.
• The American Nurses Foundation Well-Being Initiative provides a page of mental health resources specifically for nurses.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has resources for public health workers and HCPs.
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides mental health information and resource referrals, and is available by phone, text, email, or chat.

11. Consider choosing a less stressful role

If you're feeling stuck in your job or burned out from it, explore other exciting options available to you. There are a variety of roles specific to nurses who are considering a career change. For any HCP, consider the following career change options:

• Change to a less stressful specialty within your field.
• Get a change of scenery by taking on a travel role.
• Take on a remote-based telehealth role.
• Shift to per diem nursing or other by-the-day or on-demand healthcare employment.
• Consider roles that aren't at the bedside, such as those in management, patient coordination, etc.