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chapter 13 | Work-Related Stress and Burnout 209 CikguOnline
deep breaths”? Practice taking a few slow, deep, physical and/or mental capabilities? You are
“belly” breaths. When faced with a stressful situa- bound to encounter fatigue.
tion, people often hold their breath for a few sec- 3. Recognize the signs. Emotional outbursts,
onds. This reduces the amount of oxygen delivered clumsiness, loss of sensory motor control,
to the brain and causes them to feel more anxious. weariness, and exhaustion may indicate fatigue.
Anxiety can lead to faulty reasoning and a feeling 4. Discern the results. Physical and mental disor-
of losing control. Often you can calm yourself by ders, physical injuries, collapse, and even death
taking a few deep breaths. Try it right now. Don’t may be the catastrophic consequences of
you feel better already? fatigue. Be aware of the symptoms of fatigue in
yourself and others. Plan how to care for your-
Good Posture self. Be supportive of your coworkers to safe-
A common response to pressure is to slump down guard against fatigue in others (Smith, 2004).
into your chair,tensing your upper torso and abdom-
inal muscles. Again, this restricts blood flow and the Relaxation and Time Out
amount of oxygen reaching your brain. Instead of Many people have found that relaxation with
slumping, imagine a hook on top of your head guided imagery or other forms of meditation
pulling up your spine; relax your abdomen, and look decreases the physiological and psychological
up. Now, shrug your shoulders a few times to loosen impact of chronic stress. Guided imagery has been
the muscles, and picture a sunny day at the beach or used in competitions for many years, in golf, ice
a walk in the woods. Do you feel more relaxed? skating, baseball, and other sports. Research stud-
ies have shown that creation of a mental image of
Rest the desired results enhances one’s ability to reach
Sleep needs vary with the individual. Find out how the goal. Positive behavior or goal attainment is
much sleep you need, and work on arranging your enhanced even more if you imagine the details of
activities so that you get enough sleep. Fatigue in the process of achieving your desired outcome
the human body is no different than fatigue in (Vines, 1994). Box 13-5 lists useful relaxation
anything else. Starting out small, a fatigue fracture techniques.
may remain unnoticed until a catastrophic failure
Imagine taking the National Council License
occurs. Several studies indicate the consequences
Examination. You sit down at the computer, take a
of fatigue:
few deep breaths, and begin. Visualize yourself
reading the questions, smiling as you identify the
■ Subjects who had gone 17–19 hours without
correct answer, and hitting the Enter key after
sleep ranked on testing as equal or worse than
recording your answer. You complete the examina-
someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.
tion, feeling confident that you were successful. A
■ 24% of 2259 adults surveyed cited fatigue as the
week later, you go to your mailbox and find a letter
primary reason for a recent visit to a physician.
waiting for you: “Congratulations, you have passed
■ 16%–60% of all traffic accidents are related to
the test and are now a licensed registered nurse.” You
fatigue.
imagine telling your family and friends. What an
Fatigue is a multidimensional symptom. Origins of exciting moment!
fatigue may be biological, psychological, and/or
behavioral in nature. What can you do to ward off
workplace fatigue?
box 13-5
1. Spot the pattern. Be aware of a weakened state
Useful Relaxation Techniques
or decrease in strength, an interruption in the
Guided imagery
ability to perform activities of daily living, or an
Yoga
overabundance in conditions or behaviors that
Transcendental meditation
contribute to fatigue such as physical or mental
Relaxation tapes or music
stress, sleep loss, or drug use.
Favorite sports or hobbies
2. Identify precursors. Are you pushing yourself
Quiet corners or favorite places
continuously beyond the healthy limits of your