Boot Camp for Nurses I Breathing

Boot Camp for Nursing™ Part I Breathing

How does a nurse fit one more thing into the shift, workday, schedule and lifestyle?
This is a series of 5 simple techniques to strengthen survival skills in your life and career of nursing. Nursing school was efficient in teaching medical nursing education and taking care of the patient. This program teaches and encourages you how to take care of the nurse. Taking care of yourself in the medical profession allow for management of Compassion Fatigue, which is real and affecting thousands of nurses on a daily basis.
Watching my son as an infant when he was sleeping was such a joy. Not because I finally had time to myself, but to watch his tiny body fill his chest and abdomen with air, with him in a little blue sleeper looking so peaceful, so relaxed!



This exercise focuses on three areas, rib cage, diaphragm and abdomen.
Sit or stand, relax your neck and shoulders, breathe in slowly through your nose counting to five (5). Take a deep breath filling the chest relaxing and expanding the belly area. Breathe as much air in as possible. Hold it for a second and breathe the air out slowly with a count of five (5) through your mouth. With your next breath, breathe in through the nose and slowly fill the chest while expanding the abdomen. Pause and release the breath out through the mouth. (like perslip breathing). Breathe this way during your day as often as you remember.
Some call this breathing belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Belly breathing is something we all do as infants, as as we age into adulthood, we loose that natural ability to take deep, full body breaths.This full body breathing, because you allow the breath to fully enter your body. When you are in a stressful situation, the fastest way to relax the body is to breathe a full breathe of air deep into the body expanding the chest and abdomen.

What is your breathing like right now? Close your eyes and focus on how is your body taking in air. Are your breaths short? Breathing only into the top part of your lungs? Does your belly move out when you breathe? Try the following technique;

Eckhart Tolle, in his book A New Earth: awakening to your life’s purpose, suggests deep breathing takes us out of our minds and into our bodies. Connecting with our bodies gives us stability.
Start your day with a deep cleansing breathe before getting out of bed. Then, breathe a fully belly breath when you get out of bed and stand on the floor. Stretch and connect with all parts of your body just by bringing them into your awareness. If you have sore or aching parts, just breathe into them. Continue full body breathing and focus on the aching part. Try not to judge the pain as good or bad, just allow yourself to recognize the aching. Thank your body for the job it does without you having to think about it.

When you are in the shower, as the hot water hits the area between your shoulder blades, that sensation brings great relaxation to the body. Sing your favorite song in the shower. Singing will allow you to breathe deeper, bring muscle relaxation and give you something to focus on besides the thought of starting another shift at the hospital.
After getting out of the shower, take another deep cleansing breath inhaling the aroma of your first cup of coffee or tea before you start your shift.
During your shift and throughout your work day, create a space for yourself and take in a full body breathe. For example, when you are listening to report from the off-going shift, quietly take in a full body breathe. Think of other opportunities during your shift to practice deep breathing and have awareness how you feel at the end of your shift. Breathe!
At the end of your day, spend five minutes with your eyes closed focused on your breathing. Try this breathing exercise; for diaphragm breathing.
To help you strengthen your diaphragm and use it correctly when you breathe, follow these steps:

Lie on your back with your knees supported by pillows bent at a 90 degree angle to your chest. Lying on a stable surface like the floor is best.
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly just below your ribcage.
As you inhale through your nose slowly, let your belly and lower ribs rise while you keep your chest fairly still. Inhale counting to 3 and exhale counting of 6.
With practice, try diaphragm breathing up to a dozen breaths. Soon you will experience this breathing technique without tiring. When you have mastered this, try it standing. Finally, practice it while walking or even climbing stairs and hourly during your workday.

Daily practice of paying attention to your breathing may bring about changes in your perception of the level of stress in your day. Let the breath breatheYou!
Stay Healthy!
Copyright 2009-2011, Works of AnnChristine Warneka, BSN,RN
AnnChristine BSN,RN works as an author and life coach, offering seminars on Compassion Fatigue, Test Anxiety as well as Life Ownership. She lives and works in Phoenix, AZ Visit her blogg site Nurseguardian@blogspot.com or contact her email: nurseguardian@gmail.com. Phone: 602-516-6800.
You may reprint this article with my name attached. Please share this information.