MDS Alert

Stress Management Tip :

Tune Out Work-Related 'To Do' Lists and Ruminations With This Simple Strategy

This works well for some busy nurses, says expert. You have a zillion things to do at work tomorrow but you can't quiet your mind to go to sleep or relax when watching TV before bed.

One way to shift your mind into neutral, says nurse consultant Shelley Cohen, RN, MSN, CEN, is to do something that requires concentration on a specific task. She finds playing a handheld computer card game at bedtime does the trick. She knows a nurse colleague who finds working a crossword puzzle takes her mind off work, allowing her to unwind for the night.

Another nurse finds getting absorbed in coloring a coloring book helps her stop thinking about a difficult day at work. In fact, that person, a director of nursing, is known to keep some crayons and coloring books in her cabinet at work, Cohen reports. When stress levels escalate, the nurse finds that coloring for a few minutes calms her so that she can better tackle the tasks at hand, reports Cohen, principal of Health Resources in Howenwald, Tenn.

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