3 Steps to Stop Stress Now
By: AORN Staff
Published: 2/5/2023
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The old saying, “stop and smell the roses,” holds more power than you may think, especially for busy nurses looking for quick ways to reduce stress and boost wellness, according to JD Buchert, MSN, M.Ed., MS, RN, Workforce Safety Manager for Quality and Safety Operations at Parkland Health in Dallas, TX.
When you breathe in your favorite essential oil, the scent molecules travel from your olfactory nerves directly to calm your amygdala—the emotional center in your brain.
That’s why Buchert is a big advocate for aromatherapy and other quick wellness actions to help busy nurses on the go. “Nurses MUST be a part of creating an environment they want to be in—that means taking a targeted approach to removing stress whenever you can.”
As Buchert and colleague Kelly Murphy, BSN, RN, NE-BC, Magnet Program Manager, Parkland Center for Advancing Professional Practice & Nursing Research, put the finishing touches on their upcoming presentation for AORN’s 70th annual conference on aromatherapy and other strategies to cut stress and boost wellness, they shared a few tips to target stress reduction.
Step 1: Admit that stress is killing your sense of wellbeing.
Step 2: Recognize you need to make moments in your day to reduce stress, so you can feel better.
Step 3: Start with aromatherapy by choosing an essential oil scent you love and accessing it throughout the day.
“Find a scent that reduces your stress and brings you joy and calmness, then look for different forms of these scents to help you through your day in the form of essential oil, lotion, and maybe a special candle at home,” Buchert suggests.
Once nurses realize the power of a simple action such as aromatherapy to feel better, they say this can open the floodgates to incorporating more simple wellness activities into your day, such as:
- Meditation
- Physical activity
- Creating a work-life balance
- Creating open and honest communications of your feelings
- Asking for help
- Valuing yourself
- Maintaining your self-worth by giving yourself permission and the grace to release stress in a healthy way.
“It’s also important to support and promote wellness within your team by being optimistic, patient, kind, and assuming good intentions,” Murphy adds.
They also have a far-reaching pearl of wisdom for stress reduction: “Organizations must prioritize their people, before focusing on outcomes.”
They say leaders can take this step by fostering a work environment where members of the community can come in and support the well-being of staff by offering stress reducers like music from a local symphony, yoga, pets, food, sports, and even creating serenity gardens.
On a personal level, Buchert believes nurses can fuel a greater emphasis on wellness at work by modeling stress reduction strategies, which create a revolving cycle of health and positivity. “Making time for wellness helps us sleep better, maintain a healthier mental/physical/psychological and psychosocial state, and project a more positive outlook on life and work so we are able to continue and sustain stress reduction and wellness activities.”
Plan to attend Buchert and Murphy’s session Code Purple: A Multi-Modal Response to Nursing Stress and Wellness at AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2023 in San Antonio, TX, April 1–4.
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