Burnout

Stress is defined as the way in which the body responds to a kind of demand or threat. Basically, stress is the term used to describe a variety of physiological and psychological stimuli that cause a physiological response; it is such that whenever we feel threatened, a response is stimulated by the nervous system such that a number of stress hormones which include adrenaline and cortisol are released in order to prepare the body for emergency action or appropriate response.
One thing about stress though is that it is not always bad depending on the level. If stress is within the acceptable limits, it is actually beneficial because it allows you to perform under pressure especially when the life of a patient is at stake. Imagine if you have a patient that is stuck between life and death and all the person needs is just a dose of one specific injection, there is the pressure on you to get it right in order to save the life of the patient. Such stress is good but when you have a situation in which you have a lot of tasks to complete either for a patient or in the healthcare facility where you work, it might really get overwhelming and cause some physical and mental damage.
Whenever the body detects a slight hint of stress, the response you observe in your body include faster heartbeat, quickening of breath, tightening of muscles, increase in blood pressure and sharpening of senses. This consequently results in increased strength and stamina, enhances your focus and speeds up your reaction time. All these are processes through which the body protects you because this kind of response saves you from danger and also allows you as a healthcare professional to sometimes deliver patients from the clutches of death or serious injury. This is because you get to be focused, energetic and alert but this is as long as the stress is not overwhelming or beyond your capacity. It should be noted though that stress is a state of mind rather than an illness and should not be mixed up together.
Here are some common causes of stress for healthcare professionals:
• Working environment- conditions in a healthcare facility have been shown to cause stress for healthcare professionals which could be inadequate temperature levels or wrong ventilation.
• Nature of tasks- healthcare professionals especially nurses tend to be faced with a variety of tasks and varying working hours and studies have shown that these contribute to the stress faced by nurses.
• Management structure- healthcare facilities have different methods of organization and if the management structure is unfavorable, it also causes stress because it will make the roles and tasks of healthcare workers quite confusing.
• Interpersonal relationships- this has also been shown to be a cause of stress as it involves conflict with other co-workers as well as lack of support from other staff members. This in particular makes the healthcare professional to feel unwanted and underappreciated which could lead to a loss of interest in work.