Anxiety and Depression in Nurses: How Can We Manage?

• The prevalence of anxiety and depression in nurses is higher than ever before.
• Something has got to give.
• How can we encourage nurses and other healthcare members to keep going when the effects of anxiety and depression are crushing them? What strategies can help them to cope and perservere?

The prevalence of anxiety and depression in nurses is higher than ever before.  

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is only exacerbating the mental health issues related to nurses and other healthcare workers.  

Something has to give.  

How can we encourage nurses and other healthcare members to keep going when the effects of anxiety and depression are crushing them?  

How can we teach them to cope and to persevere? 

It All Comes Down to Thought in the Moment

In order to never feel the effects of continuous loss, stress, or the many other environmental negatives you may experience in one shift, you must try to be completely and utterly impartial.  

Whether you feel rushes of anxiety or depression, or possibly even the opposite, having any sort of thought is how we develop emotional responses; but it’s impossible to never feel anything.  

Thought is our perception of the things we experience in life; it is an inevitable constant.  

Resilience is the flexibility to adapt to the continuously changing circumstances around and within us. 

The biggest obstacle to becoming resilient lies within our own thoughts. The way we use our power of thought is the way we are viewing our actual reality.  

So, when something happens that makes you overwhelmed, such as a code or a tragic patient loss, you possess the power to control your thoughts to navigate you through this environmental experience. 

You must choose to be resilient at that moment.  

Your only other option is letting a single negative experience crush you. 

As a nurse, you already know that you are going to experience a patient dying more than once. You are going to be exposed to seeing people suffer. 

The sad truth is it is part of the job. 

Resilience is vital in preserving your mental health. You cannot let your past experiences and circumstances frame and determine your current reality or future.  

It is imperative that nurses and healthcare workers remember these fundamental truths.  

Other Approaches

Whether you’re on the clock or at home, The Anxiety and Depression Association of American offers various coping strategies to relieve moments of anxiety or depression in nurses quickly.  

• Taking a time out 
• Eating well-balanced meals 
• Getting enough sleep (if possible) 
• Exercising daily 
• Taking deep breaths and count to 10 slowly 
• Accepting that you cannot control everything 
• Practicing self-care 
• Learning what triggers your anxiety 
• Talking to someone 

Of course, this may be easier said than done, so let’s elaborate further on a couple of these strategies! 

The Necessity of Taking a Break

With everything that is going on in the world right now and how never-ending a job in healthcare may seem, sometimes you just need to pause for a moment.  

Whether it’s for two minutes or an entire day, there are many factors that are put at risk when you are working non-stop and do not take a second to breathe.  

For example, untreated anxiety and depression in nurses who are overworked can lead to on-the-job distractions, a decline in physical health, and so much more.  

You have chosen a profession of caring for others, but you cannot do so properly without caring for yourself first.  

Accepting Circumstances that Are Out of Your Control

Whether it is Mother Nature, a patient’s decision on a treatment (or lack of), or an unforeseeable health condition, there are some instances within the nursing profession that are simply out of your control, and there is nothing more than can be done on your end. 

These circumstances can be emotionally tolling and lead to anxiety and depression in nurses.  

It is a difficult philosophy to live day-to-day by, and I totally understand that.  

However, instead of focusing on the things that you cannot control, try pivoting and focusing on all of the things that you can control – like your thought in the moment. This realization will set your mind free and reduce your stress and anxiety.  

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