Saturday Relaxation

Today we are continuing on with the benefits of relaxation.  Did you know that relaxation helps to fight depression?

As many nurses know cortisol is the stress hormone, so when we are stressed it increase, helping us deal with the situations that we face in a work environment or our personal environment(s).  But when we have a prolonged stress response cortisol is known to decrease dopamine and serotonin levels which increases the chances of depression. 

If you think about it, when we go to a code BLUE, what happens?  We get an adrenaline rush, our anxiety level increases, we are thinking fast about all the things we need to do and planning for different outcomes - whether they are positive or negative.  But when all the excitement is over, we crash.  That is our stress response in action, now think about how our stress response reacts when we are in a prolonged stress environment or situation.   Your stress may not be at work, it could be coming from home.  If you have no down time, how do you recharge your energy?  You don't!  There are many studies out there on the affects of stress, both work and personal.  If you have a situation were you are constantly under stress and pressure, find the time to be alone and get away, even if it is only an hour or two.  Sit in a quiet place, surround yourself with peaceful things like nature, a water fall or water feature, go to a park, go for a walk in the woods/park.  Anything to just decompress to ward off the symptoms of depression.

Nurses always have to be strong, we don't show our weakness because we are taught not to.  We can't always be strong, sometimes we need to be weak, we need that shoulder to lean on, that we give to everyone else.  It is ok to say, 'I need a break'  we all need that at times.

In your inspiration journal I want you to write down your feelings every day.  YOUR REAL FEELINGS, not the ones you show everyone else.  Think of ways to deal with those feelings, do you think you can handle them on your own or do you need a person on the outside to guide you?  There is nothing wrong with seeking help from a friend or even a professional.  Sometimes an outsider who knows nothing about you is the easiest person to talk to because they do not have preconceived notions about you.  NEVER be afraid to ask for help.

Some things that can help you to relax are Yoga, massage, and meditation.  I've discussed these things before in older posts and it goes to show that a healthy lifestyle really does encompass the mind and body as well as the soul.  As we nurture all three of these things on our journey to better health we are becoming stronger in mind, body and spirit.

Resources

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/stress-awareness-day-relaxation-benefits_n_1424820.html
http://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-recovery-relaxation-exercises
http://www.allaboutdepression.com/relax/