Stress is something that will always be there, both positive (eustress) and negative (distress). Eustress can be utilized to help motivate ourselves, improving your level of performance and allows us to get things done. Distress on the other hand causes anxiety & negative emotions, which in turn can decrease your level of performance.
We have had several requests on how to deal with stress during the first year of nursing school. Here are our tips on how to manage stress that comes with the nursing school and its life adjustments.
1. Find Your Tribe
"Soulmates aren't just lovers."
As above mentioned, nursing school is a huge life adjustment. We strongly encourage you to find at least one or two nursing peers to help you make it through the ups & downs that nursing school brings. Yes, you may have your supports that you would confide in for normal life things - that's great. However, these people from your life prior to nursing school may find themselves adjusting during this change too. You are going to find yourself having less time to do the things you once enjoyed doing together, which may cause them to build up frustration towards you. May we remind you this adjustment is only temporary, and your true friends will gain an understanding to your new busy schedule. This is why making friends in nursing school is so important. They 100% get you, and they are battling the same obstacles that you are experiencing. They are almost like your own personal counsellor, and vice versa. We are fortunate enough to have found each other early on in the program (we actually sat next to each other day one!).
2. Stay Organized
“For every minute spent organizing, is an hour earned.”
Okay everyone this is KEY. Staying on top of things is probably one of the biggest factors that will help prevent stress. We always purchase agendas to have for our first day back to school. When we are given our assignment due dates, important clinical dates and other various events that we are needing to attend, we highlight them in our agenda. We want to give our followers a 20% off discount here when they use: STUDENTLIFE at checkout (valid till 12/31). The stylish planner makes sweet personalized agendas - even ones that have stethoscopes with your name on them! This is a great gift idea for your medical friends!
Another aspect that falls under the "stay organized" category is regarding readings. You know what they say, knowledge is power, but you can't receive this knowledge without doing your readings. Although you have lectures, we truly believe these lectures compliment your readings. Doing your readings prior to class gives you a baseline to what you are needing to know/learn about. Listening to the lecture actually validates what you have read, which is nice, but also helps to solidify this knowledge by learning it more than one way! Also, reading prior to class allows you to be able to participate more during lectures.
3. Practice Mindfulness
"I can and I will."
We have been very fortunate to have been lectured by an amazing instructor who taught us the importance of mindfulness. To help decrease our stress, we practice mindfulness, which to us means being present in the moment. Yes, you will undergo tests of your limits, and we aren't going to lie and say these times will not be stressful. However, if you are present in the moment, you can think to yourself, this time is only temporary, I will be successful. To practice mindfulness you can do the following:
1. Conscious breathing - close your eyes and take deep breaths in through your nose for 5 seconds, and a loud exhale out through your mouth for 5 seconds. Repeat this 10 times.
2. Be present in the moment & ground yourself - We usually do this one prior to writing an exam. We place the palms of our hands facing downwards on the surface of the exam table. You then plant your feet on the ground, and close your eyes for one minute. We close our eyes because it gives us a moment to think about all the information and knowledge we have learned that has helped us prepare for this moment. Think of the space around you, take deep breaths like above mentioned.
3. Four square breathing - Picture a square. Now along the first line across that makes the square breathe in for 4 seconds, now along the line going down hold for 4 seconds. Now again during that line across, exhale for 4 seconds, and then hold for 4 more. We repeat this pattern to complete the square. We complete this circuit you guessed it, 4 times.
4. Time Management
"Don't be busy, be productive."
This one ties closely with our second tip staying organized, but it is so important we wanted to make it an additional tip. This is something that we both used to struggle with so greatly in our first & second years. Lack of time is a huge stressor in nursing school, as well as when you are a nurse in the clinical setting! We were always trying to do way too many things at once, causing additional unnecessary stressors. To help overcome this, we have found a variety of solutions - we are happy to say we are now quite proficient in our time management skills! Theses skills are perfect for school, as well as clinical.
1. Make weekly to do lists - check off or cross out the tasks when they're done
2. Update your agenda routinely
3. Split up note taking and readings with friends - this one is KEY to our success. When school becomes crazy busy with clinicals and what seems like months of readings, partner up with a few friends to split up the weekly readings
4. Buy yourself a smart watch, they can set timers & reminders so you can stick to your timeframe allocated for each task (this is especially good for clinical - eg. hourly checks/medication administration)
5. Put your phone in another room
6. Do the WORST assignments first to help solve procrastination
7. Do not stress about the little details
5. Balance Your Life
".. and relax."
This tip some people might find tricky to follow during their first year - we're guilty of this. Nursing school is very demanding, however for your own mental wellness, you must take time to balance out your life. If your only focus is on nursing school studies, you may start to resent it when it becomes overwhelming. We now always set aside at least one day or evening a week where we can relax and do fun things with our friends, loved ones or even just yourself. Honestly, that may sound impossible, but setting aside this afternoon or evening (we usually pick Sundays), will allow for a mental reset for your next hectic week. This is truly what keeps us sane through the program. Some examples of things we do are hiking, reading, spa dates, movies, lunch dates, hot yoga, or even some shopping!
We have had questions about exercise. Is it okay to skip some study time to exercise? Of course! You may not have as much time if you were once an avid gym goer prior to the program, but this is also something that will keep you sane. We suggest trying hot yoga for your daily/weekly exercise. That is an activity we have found to love during the program. It gives you the sweat and workout you need, but also brings in that component of mindfulness and relaxation. Exercise is a good way to get rid of the stress, allows for mental breaks, gives you time to absorb knowledge and is good for your body! We have heard that some people actually bring their notes and read them while they walk on the treadmill - we are yet to try this, however it sounds like a great idea during exam week!
One final component of finding balance is sleep! Despite feeling the need to stay up and study during crazy hours through the night, you must sleep! You are doing your body no good, and actually causing harm. Lack of sleep can impair your attention, alertness, concentration, problem solving & reasoning (things that are SO essential during nursing). It can additionally lead to heart problems, depression, cause you to gain weight and even impact your memory! To help get enough sleep, plan out at least 7 hours of good rest. Prior to your planned bedtime, turn off your computer & phones, as they both contain blue light - something that can impair your ability to sleep. We like to use lavender essential oil pillow spray to help us get to sleep. You'll find sleep will make you more alert and able to retain more information, which can help you in the long run!
The above picture is an easy way to get a nice restful sleep! You can get these sticks, along with personalized vitamins & supplements in the mail monthly, which is so handy with our busy schedules. Sometimes when you are stressed, it is hard to fall asleep. Although we are not prescribers, we have found these Dream Team quick sticks to work as a nice option for us. These help to reset our internal clocks, especially after clinical days or exam weeks. If you are wanting more information about these quick sticks and personalized monthly subscription boxes, go to their website for more information! Our personalized packs also contain vitamins and supplements to combat stress. When you go to their site, you complete a questionnaire to allow them to provide suggestions on what to include in your box - ours contained a lot of stress relieving supplements (eg. Rhodiola). You can also receive a 25% off your first order if you click here and use our code: BSNBLONDIES.
We hope these 5 tips can be great takeaways for your own nursing school journey to help you bring peace & decrease stress! Although these tips may help for us, you may find other ways to help combat your own stressors. Please comment below & share your tips too!
Tara & Sydney
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