The “how” of destressing is somewhat easy for many to understand. It is the putting into practice of stress-reducing techniques that is usually the most difficult part to master. Today, during the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing and eliminating stress has never been more important for the nursing community.
Few understand this better than Dr. Brenda Lyon, who has close to 40 years of experience in helping clients effectively deal with stress and stress-related physical illness. She is the author of the newly released #1 book Haven’t You Suffered Enough? Clinically Proven Methods To Conquer Stress. According to Dr. Lyon, it takes time to master the skills to conquer stress but the resulting benefits at work and home are enormous and life-changing.
The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) sponsored an eight-part webinar series hosted by Dr. Lyon for CNSs to increase awareness and understanding of stress and provide the tools to prevent and reduce it. To watch the Conquering Stress During Difficult Times Webinar series click here.
“The overall objective of these eight sessions is to explain and help you understand the true controllable causes of the stress that you experience,” said Dr. Lyon. “You’ll learn how to both prevent and eliminate stress.”
The Two Conditions Needed For Stress
Research shows that two conditions are necessary for a human to experience stress. First, demands that you’re experiencing have to be outweighing the resources that you have available to comfortably deal with the situation. This will make the situation conducive to stress but by itself is not sufficient to cause stress. The second condition is that you are anticipating some kind of harm or loss, some kind of negative consequence to you or to somebody or something that is important to you. Both of those conditions are necessary for any human being to experience stress. There’s a lot you can control regarding the two conditions.
Conquering stress
FIRST, when you’re “overloaded” initiate your demand management mode to eliminate non-essential demands and manage essential demands.
SECOND, maximize your internal and external resources.
MANAGE YOUR THOUGHTS, accept situations you cannot control, be careful with your word choice in your self-talk, use positive situational focusing, maintain a grateful attitude, and find humor.
ELIMINATE STRESS EMOTIONS, avoid/eliminate dysfunctional anxiety, avoid/eliminate unjustified guilt, avoid/eliminate chronic anger, avoid/eliminate frustration, and allow yourself to grieve.
Watch the Conquering Stress During Difficult Times Webinar series and learn how to use these and other techniques in your life to reduce stress and maybe even laugh a little more.
View a webinar by clicking below:
Conquering Stress During Difficult Times Webinar Series
Click here for Session One: The Real and Controllable Causes of your Stress – approximately 45 minutes
Click here for Session Two: Eliminating Non-Essential Demands – approximately 40 minutes
Click here for Session Three: Maximizing Your Resources – approximately 10 minutes
Click here for Session Four: Conquering Dysfunctional Anxiety and the “Work of Worry” – approximately 25 minutes
Click here for Session Five: Conquering Unjustified Guilt – approximately 11 minutes
Click here for Session Six: Conquering Chronic Anger – approximately 16 minutes
Click here for Session Seven: Conquering Frustration – approximately 9 minutes
Click here for Session Eight: Grief and Situational Depression – approximately 13 minutes
About Dr. Brenda Lyon
Dr. Brenda Lyon was a professor at Indiana University School of Nursing for 39 years and is currently a Professor Emerita at the University. She had a private practice in stress and stress-related physical illness for over 34 years. She has conducted over 350 workshops nationwide focused on helping people learn how to prevent and eliminate stress-related suffering in their lives. She has numerous awards for her work in the field. She is a Fellow in both the American Academy of Nursing and the interdisciplinary distinguished practitioners’ National Academies of Practice.