By Richard Freedberg, RN, MSN, MPA

Can we take a quick inventory of your life? Let’s see, you might be just starting nursing school, in the thick of it, or just out of it. Since college is expensive, you may be working in addition to attending class. Then, there is the family and friend situation, those people you care about and need to spend time with. Could we agree that many of us have way too much to do and far too little time in which to do it? Seems to spell S-T-R-E-S-S. Anybody agree?

There are some concrete strategies you can use to help yourself function at your highest level and just plain feel better. Best of all, they’re free! They all have one thing in common: These approaches all aim at nurturing you for a change, which makes complete sense. As a nurse, your first patient should be you! With a little attention to six areas, you truly can be a new person.

1. Let’s start with mindfulness. Can we agree we have control only over "now"?  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn’t here, so we are forced to live in the moment. That concept can be very liberating. Sure we need to be aware of deadlines and learn from our experiences, but nearly all of our energy needs to be expended in helping us live in the moment. If you are eating, pay attention to it and enjoy the food. If you are studying, live in that moment and focus. If you are with your friends, luxuriate in that time. Don’t attach yourself to the past or stew about the future. Remind yourself by repeating "I am going to be mindful about now."
2. Nutrition is important. You already know that, so what are you going to do about it? Don’t make a drastic change. Be mindful of the "now" and just say, "I am going to eat healthier for this one meal." Be mindful of the "now" later in the day and say, "I am going to treat my body to something healthy for a snack." Be mindful one meal at a time.
3. Who needs sleep? We all do. Believe it or not, each of us really needs about eight hours a night. Again, be mindful. Live in the moment and tell yourself that just for tonight, "I am going to treat my body to the sleep it needs." Listen to yourself breathe, be aware of your body relaxing in bed, be aware of your growing sleepiness, and surrender. It really works!
4. We all have habits, some that are good (like brushing our teeth) and others that are not so good. Freud said we all have a life drive that compels us to fight to live which is paired with a death drive that urges us to do risky behaviors (no seat belts, smoking, substance use, etc.). Be mindful, and say, "I won’t smoke this one cigarette" or "I will not drink this one additional drink" or . . . (fill in the blank). Whatever your death seeking habits are, gradually reduce them one moment at a time.
5. Yes, we all know we need to exercise. Take the easy route by being mindful. "This time, I will take the stairs instead of the elevator" or "I am going to take a five-minute break now to stand up and stretch." Opportunities for increasing your activity will present themselves.
6. You know from nursing school that we are all holistic beings woven with inseparable mind, body, and spiritual threads. Find your spiritual side and connect with it. If you come from a particular religion or faith tradition, regular practice can bring you energy and peace. If you don’t have a spiritual background, talking with calm and peaceful people may give you some direction.

I can hear you saying, "Great, I’ve already got too much to do and now he wants me to sleep, exercise, eat right, give up a few things, and get spiritual. I don’t have any time now. I am STRESSED OUT!" I hear you and you are absolutely right, but you forgot that you are now mindful and living in the moment. Remember? Set aside the past because there is nothing you can do about it. Wait for the future to come to you. Don’t run after it trying to hurry it along. Living in the "now" takes the pressure off.

Be mindful. What are you going to do with this present moment? Give yourself permission to stretch and have an apple! And, this is something you can teach your patients, too . . .

Editor’s note: Freedberg is a professor of mental health nursing at Lansing (MI) Community College and the author of Stressed Out About Pharmacology. Email your questions or comments to him at editor@stressedoutnurses.com.