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Applying mindfulness to work-related stress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Claire Flahavan*
Affiliation:
Mater/UCD Psychiatry Training Scheme, Dublin 3, email: cflahavan@gmail.com
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Abstract

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Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2007

Murdoch & Eagles (Reference Murdoch and Eagles2007) describe a range of stressors and stress-reducing strategies identified by consultant psychiatrists. Davoren & McCauley (Reference Davoren and McCauley2007) rightly note that stressful relationships with colleagues may also be problematic.

As a profession, we traditionally focus on managing, overcoming, getting rid of and controlling symptoms in our patients. In applying a similarly active ‘stress-busting’ approach to the remediation of our professional woes, there is a danger that the value of simply adopting a mindful stance may be overlooked. This is particularly relevant with respect to those stressors which lie beyond our immediate control (e.g. inadequately resourced teams, understaffing, government policy, unpredictable on-call duties). Mindfulness involves the cultivation of compassionate, non-judgemental awareness and acceptance of the present moment – a calm, purposeful and reflective presence which can be applied to all aspects of medical practice (Reference Kabat-ZinnKabat-Zinn, 1990). It fosters the facility to witness events (internal and external), as opposed to becoming caught up in their intensity. Habitual and reflexive reactions to stressors often compound and exacerbate the original difficulty many-fold. The mindful practitioner can respond more skilfully to situations as they arise, rather than reacting automatically in accordance with conditioned behavioural patterns. One could argue that this is a prerequisite not merely for stress-free clinical practice but for good living. Perhaps the development of resilience in a profession increasingly fraught with stressors begins ‘with the self as the first… object of knowledge’ (Reference Aronowitz and FreireAronowitz, 1998).

References

Aronowitz, S. (1998) Introducton. In Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage (ed. Freire, P.). pp. 127. Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Davoren, M. & McCauley, M. (2007) Work-related stress. Psychiatric Bulletin, 31, 316.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990) Full Catastrophe Living. Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness. Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing.Google Scholar
Murdoch, J. M. & Eagles, J. M. (2007) ‘Stress-busting’ groups for consultant psychiatrists. Psychiatric Bulletin, 31, 128131.Google Scholar
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