NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019 - 25

SUMMER/FALL 2019

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tress and burnout are a growing epidemic, especially in the
workplace and particularly in healthcare across all sectors.

and others. Having the courage and confidence to say no is a
strategy for safeguarding your well-being with boundaries.

Ask most anyone, your co-worker, customers, patients,
family and friends, "How are you?" or "How are things going?"
and the common reply is "I'm exhausted," "I'm overwhelmed."
"I have no time for everything." Right?

Say NO to three things for more control and calm
throughout your day:

Not only does this have a negative impact on our overall health
and well-being - it also negatively impacts workplace bottom lines.

b. Multi-tasking. It's not a REAL thing. It's a futile attempt to
be more efficient, you are mostly just contributing to the
internal chaos and stress you may be feeling throughout
the day because your brain can easily get overwhelmed
toggling between multiple tasks and ideas.

a. Interruptions. Turn off all the rings and dings
so you can focus.

The stress from burnout impacts our health. As much as 60-80%
of primary care doctors visits have a stress related component.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), chronic
stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease,
cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.

c. People, places and things that will not support and move
you closer to your personal, family and professional goals.
Seriously, we don't have enough hours in the day for
anything that doesn't fit in these priorities.

According to the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine,
stress from burnout contributes to an estimated loss of nearly
$2,000 per employee. Stress in the workplace costs employers
more than $300 billion annually.

3. Power of Mindfulness. Replenish your mind, body and

soul. Mindfulness practices are useful for improving mental
clarity, restoring physical energy, gaining a feeling of being
grounded and connected. Here are a couple mindfulness
exercises to help you practice staying in the present moment
while reducing stress.

So what is causing all the stress? The demand and impact of
stress comes from environmental stress, psychological stress,
emotional stress and biological stress. Our ability to navigate,
tolerate and adapt to the stressors in each of these areas is unique
to each individual and situation. It can also change over time. The
load of stress on our mind and body is cumulative and over time
our ability to cope and adapt can diminish, causing health issues.

a. Adult coloring book. Coloring requires focus and can be
very therapeutic by yourself and in a group setting.
b. Connect in nature. Whether it's gardening, hiking the
mountains, or sitting by the lake or ocean can pay big
rewards in calming mind, body and soul.

Because of this, it is crucial to our overall mental, emotional,
physical and spiritual well-being by addressing the needs of
managing the whole person.

c. Journal. Writing out your thoughts helps our mind stay
organized, clear the mental clutter and minimize overwhelm
as well as provide reflection for the things that bothered
us throughout the day so you can consciously assess and
take action to create change and release the stress instead
of holding it in.

Take back your power and regain a sense of control and inner
peace with these 6 tips.

1. Power of the Pause. The pause is like a reset for our

mind and body. Pausing to rest and reflect are important
for integration of thoughts and ideas but also an easy
way to transition to end one activity before engaging in
the next. In order to reduce the sense overwhelm often
experienced hopping from one thing to the next whether
it's a meeting to a phone call, creative task to something
technical, or from work to home, and making dinner to
getting the kids ready for bedtime - the ability to detach
and transition from one task and activity to the next is
empowering. Give yourself a mini-break and pause to
rejuvenate and be intentional moving to the next thing on
your list. This one tip will help you experience less stress
and more inner peace.

4. Power of Planning . T h e v a l u e o f p l a n n i n g

is often so underestimated. Allow time for planning,
reflection and follow-up.
Measuring the time of our commitments and planning out
our day on our schedule, not in our head, will help eliminate
the mental drain from trying to remember things and it will
eliminate overscheduling and overcommitting.
Effective and consistent planning is a great stress reducer.
Plus, it gives you the power to say no much easier because
you're clear that all your time is committed.

2. Power of No. One of our greatest stressors in this always on,
do more society is our inability to say no. This can often lead
to frustration, anxiety and resentment both towards ourselves

N E PA

Power Tip: Be sure to plan business, personal, family and
community all on one calendar.
25

VITAL SIGNS
NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019
