As I was going through my work day today, I was feeling somewhat anxious and quite apprehensive about how this day was going to end--me, being on-call till 6:45am the next morning and noticing the number of "add-ons" on the surgery schedule displayed on a 65-inch monitor. But, I just kept going with my current case and did my best to maintain a positive attitude...holding myself gracefully and continued to smile even though the stress level was up there. There was nothing I could do about those add-ons. No matter how long I studied that monitor or wished for them to just disappear, or maybe cancelled...I knew that that was all wishful thinking. I just accepted the fact that it was a busy day and kept telling myself that I will survive. Thinking of the upcoming weekend and spending some good, quality time with my husband and daughter also motivated for me to just keep swimming. Thoughts like those excite me and in return, they help take a bit of stress off the load.
Sometimes, anxiety and apprehension can really take a hold of you in a negative way (if you allow it). It can cause such huge frustration leading to mistakes, doubts, depression, etc. All of these are adverse effects resulting from the contravening reactions that you take when such situation arises. So, when you catch yourself feeling overwhelmed, stressed-out, frustrated...snap yourself out of those negative thoughts. Go take a break. Let your coworkers know that you need a few minutes to gather yourself together or that you need a mental break. They will understand what you are demanding or requiring. Trust me. We all go through that many many times in our lifespan.
By reacting negatively upon such stress, what do you actually gain? Nothing, but a bad experience. I have seen in front of my own eyes how mistakes have transpired due to the person's frustration. I have seen people blaming themselves for when things went wrong and were out of control. I have seen people doubting their abilities as nurses and as a result, looked into a different career path.
Trying to avoid or escape your frustration and stress will not and does not guarantee that you will never, ever feel that again. Of course not. Let's face it. A lot of things in life cannot be avoided. Depending on how you react to the situation and what you do about it, it can possibly be minimized, but definitely not omitted from life completely.
Realization plays an essential part in learning--especially about yourself. Thus, self-realization. Once you have acknowledged that a problem is in existent, you can move on and make a decision. It's all up to you and how you choose to deal the hand given to you! You can either take the challenge gracefully and have a positive attitude about it. Or, you can allow for that frustration to be stronger than you that it'll take a hold of you (and I suggest that you invest on a cushion signage that should say something like, "Bang head here." and pin it to your wall).
You choose.
