Why Yoga and Running are Effective for Self-Care of Nurses
This paper explores two methods of physical and spiritual exercise that have been proven to aid in reducing stress levels among nurses and nursing students. In this paper, I examine the need for self-care during nursing school and why self-care should be continued into the development of a nursing career.
Self-care is a pinnacle for nursing students and nurses as responsibilities away from one’s self become more of a priority. In nursing school, students are met with the challenge of time management for educational requirements, clinical rotations, and outside-of-school study. These factors may not seem to be many, yet the hours students are expected to fulfil for each one are demanding.
…show more content…
Yoga is a popular health trend with a variety of studios opening around the United States. Yoga is the practice of strengthening physical poses, breath work, and meditation. Through these practices, an individual can mentally focus on his or her own self. One of the goals of yoga is to connect with one’s self mentally and spiritually; in other words, yoga helps a person get to know themselves better. Yoga has also grown into a community in which gurus, or teachers, can aid students in group classes or one on one. In a study conducted by the University of Maryland, yoga is shown to enhance positivity around participants. The conclusions of the study show four themes of change that arise from regular practice of the yoga (Bevans, Williams, Friedmann, & Thomas, 2013). The first is yoga leads to personal transformation. Participants agree practice of self-mediation and restraint result in having more positive characteristics. Yoga can calm the mind which results in the calming of self. The second theme is yoga increases social interaction. Through classes, people are able to meet others which can lead to developing positive relationships outside of a hospital. The third theme is yoga can provide coping mechanisms when people experience loss or difficulty in relationships. For nurses, who may experience both these factors, yoga can allow people to mentally remove themselves from negative connotations of death or a tough relationship. The fourth theme …show more content…
The benefits of running are mental and physical. Jillian Fritsen (2010) describes how running can reduce stress, “Running reduces stress by boosting levels of serotonin in your and creating a more positive mood,” (Fritsen, 2010). Other mental benefits can include increased focus as running helps circulate blood to the brain and increased self-esteem as the body begins to change with regular running. The physical benefits of running can include an increased immune system, better lung capacity as runners must learn to regulate breathing, and lower cholesterol levels as running increase the amount of high density
Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.
It is the most appropriate yoga for those who are more intellectually or philosophically inclined. This yoga can be broken into three distinct steps. The first step is to learn, this means seeking out teachers and gurus who can pass their knowledge unto you. The second step is to think; this step requires you to separate your true Self from the self you are currently occupying. The final step is to change, that is, to change your self-identification to your true Self. This step can often include referring to yourself in the third person to further drive a wedge between Self and self.
Prioritization and Time Management in Nursing Nursing can be particularly difficult and demanding and during the busy times and shifts some nurses might rarely have sufficient time to sit down or eat. A lot of nurses have a lot of things that they have to accomplish and have to be aware of ways to ask quick questions when it comes to the well-being and care of their patients. It is because nursing is increasingly high-paced and demanding that it becomes significantly critical for nursing professionals to learn ways to manage their times at work efficiently in order to decrease their levels of stress and ensure that the care they deliver is of high quality (Patterson, Ebright & Saleem, 2011). Improving the capacity of nurses to manage their times is significant, especially because it makes them become more efficient nurses, nurses who will be able to address the needs of a large number of patients within a short period. This does not usually translate to sacrificing the quality of patient care and the bedside manners of nurses; only that they have to complete the fundamental care they need within a short period.
Self-care has a very different meaning for people. It varies from person to person and can be based on age, gender, religion, occupation, and their type of lifestyle that they live. For myself, my self-care has changed since starting nursing school and I now know have to look at it in terms of nursing. Although my self-care has not changed substantially I now have to realize that being a nurse, I will have more responsibility’s and will be taking care of others and I cannot take care of others until I take care of myself. Self-care is very important for many reasons; in my opinion a healthy person in mind, body and soul is a happy person. You cannot take care of others if you yourself are not healthy and happy.
The nursing theories that are currently in place in the emergency room to promote professional growth and development are vital; however, there are other nursing theories that could be implemented to help improve professional growth and development. A theory that should be implemented to more effectively promote professional growth and development is Orem’s theory of self-care deficit. Orem’s theory is considered a “realistic reflection on nursing practice” (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p. 146). If the nurse is not taking care of him or herself, “stress [can] accumulate [and the] nurse can … become angry, exhausted, depressed, and sleepless” (Ruff & Hoffman, 2016, p. 8). By the nurse having these feelings he or she is not able to take care of him
Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
Each individual nurse brings a distinctive set of values and beliefs to the table when entering nursing school. While these values may or may not be similar, every student has their own interpretation of what it means to be a nurse, and what awaits them. Luckily, commonality of instruction ensures the next generation of nurses acquires the tools required for greatness. By combining the fundamentals of nursing with those individual values a student nurse will have a solid foundation in which to build upon. For this reason, a discussion must be made about the four basic aspects of nursing: person, health, environment, and nurse, not to mention where a nurse should find themselves five years after graduating from nursing school. The purpose of this paper is to describe the metaparadigm of nursing and theories related to the metaparadigm as well as personal five year goals.
Throughout this philosophy paper, I have explored what nursing is based on my personal values and beliefs as it relates to the body of work in nursing. I value the importance of holistic nursing and the care of patients being individualized for them and their family. Also, effectively collaborating among health care professionals to ensure quality care for patients. Additionally, the importance of health promotion as one of the main roles of nurses is being a teacher, since promoting health prevents illness and increases the level of health in clients. These principles will serve as a guide for my personal standards of nursing practice.
A nurse that wishes to determine if he/she is stressed, must first be cognizant of the signs and symptoms. Often, stress manifests not just in physical ways but in emotional ways as all. The physical signs of stress include headaches, weight gain, fatigue, and an elevated glucose level, while the emotional signs include anger, lashing out, hostility, sadness, and abstinence and isolation from activities (Roszler & Brail 2017). Stress management is the process of integrating positive and healthy techniques into one’s lifestyle in an attempt to reduce stress. Physical activity such as yoga has been proven to reduce stress. Researchers have found that because yoga encourages one to relax, it shifts the flight-or-fight response to the relaxation response, which has been shown to decrease stress by lowering breathing and heart rates, decrease blood pressure, lower cortisol levels, and increase blood flow to vital organs (Woodyard
Everyday society assumes yoga is just a physical health practice that will make people substantially fit. Social media is making people believe that Yoga is mostly good for exercising in a social, trendy fashion environment. What society does not know is Yoga plays a huge role in emotional hygiene, more so than physical health, Yoga develops a healthy emotional stability for its participants that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Emotionally, Yoga can develop a healthy emotional lifestyle for its participants while leaving a person with more positivity, determination and strength in the human mind.
Yoga affects the academics by keeping the positive thoughts running and having more energy for the next day to come. Not only does doing yoga keep the mind focused or keep the positive thoughts rolling it but it helps relieve the stress a person might be dealing with. It can help you relax and manage stress and anxiety. “Concentration is a leading contributor to success in school because our ability to concentrate is akin to the ability to make the most of our education.” Yoga may help you achieve peacefulness of body and mind. Things such as exercise, yoga or mediation have been proven to help reduce anxiety and stress levels and even keep a person healthier and more focused on their life. “Yoga and college have a few things in common. College is intended to harness our tremendous potential to change the world. It encourages us to focus on what we want to learn, to broaden our horizons, and cultivate new understandings. The point of college is to train us to engage
Stopping at these two key areas is perfectly alright, still, it is recommended to include mental health. This section is very important because without mental stability people would not be able to control their physical and emotional actions. It is recommended to receive emotional support, since it helps people vent their frustrations and fears, to clear their mind from the emotional build up they have accumulated. There are many ways to let out emotions. Some people recommend activities such as practicing mindfulness or attending yoga classes. Yet, it seems most people believe that yoga is not for everyone. This is usually because people believe that they are not flexible enough. Surprisingly though, there is no need to be flexible in order to practice yoga. “The point of yoga is not to stick your foot behind your head, or to have some place to wear your cute Lululemon gear. The point of yoga is to reconnect you to the deepest part of you – to rediscover who you are, and then carry that out into the world” (Yoga is for Everyone). In other words, yoga is meant for meditation. It is meant to help people relax and connect with their body’s emotions, while incorporating some forms of mild physical movement. However, there are other ways to meditate and be in control of the body. Mindfulness is in many way like yoga, without
Becoming a healthier person interests us all, from young to old, being fit is something we strive for. Nowadays, one means of achieving that goal is through yoga. Though the use of breathing exercises, meditation and strength postures, people have actually lowered their blood pressure, aches and pains fade away as their body becomes more athletic.
The goal of this study was to identify the ways in which engaging in yoga practices would alter psychological well being, and allow people to engage more fully in their lives and flourish in health and happiness. The pre and post test set up of this study allowed the researchers to see the ways in which students had been affected by their participation in the yoga teacher training. Yoga training students were engaged in a four week program. They were administered tests and the beginning of the study, prior to engaging in the program, at the end of the program, after completion, and then again at a 3 month follow up. Multiple factors were assessed, however the significant and important ones which relate directly to our understanding of healthy, happiness and wellness and the course content are extremely