Nurses who practice mindfulness do better at managing anxiety and stress, according to a new report published this month in the journal Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.
Investigators evaluated 14 studies from seven countries: three were conducted in Australia, two in the United States, one in Portugal, two in China, two in Brazil, three in Malaysia and one in Taiwan. Of the studies, 10 focused on nurses; the others focused on nursing technicians and nurses. The studies didn’t have one unified type of mindfulness technique used or duration in which all the healthcare workers used it, so it’s hard to say that a certain type of technique or period of time practicing it worked best. Instead, the studies reveal that mindfulness overall can help. When the team evaluated the data, they found those who practiced mindfulness had decreases in anxiety and stress levels.
“The number of robust studies on sickness among nursing staff and their growing use of mindfulness practices was significant, and we realized how important it was to explore the use of this kind of intervention to manage anxiety in the group, combining the two previous research lines,” Karen de Oliveira Santana, first author and a specialist in mental health and psychiatry at the University of São Paulo’s Medical School, said in a statement.
Practicing mindfulness involves doing so regularly. There are different ways to use mindfulness as well. Generally, it’s about paying attention to the present moment and focusing on small details you may not otherwise think about. Mindfulness techniques can include sensory experiences, meditation, breathing exercises, and the like.
“It [mindfulness] helps you pause between stimulus and response so that you think before acting. Conscious breathing and meditation promote physical and mental relaxation, alleviating anxiety and stress so that you can be more aware of your needs,” she said.
Authors pointed out that healthcare organizations still have to work on improving working conditions — not just rely on workers to practice mindfulness in hopes they’re less stressed.
“It’s possible to manage symptoms of anxiety and stress, but their causes must also be tackled,” she said, citing long hours, constant exposure to disease, lack of professional prestige and low pay, all of which heighten the risk of falling sick,” de Oliveira Santana said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Brazil has the largest number of people who experience anxiety, with 9.3% of the population feeling frazzled.
“Improving the nursing staff’s quality of life also means improving the quality of care provided,” de Oliveira Santana said.
