What does Transcendental Meditation offer to Nurses?
Nurses throughout the nation have chosen to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique to alleviate the pressure and remain in the nursing profession.
One nurse who learned Transcendental Meditation says: “Some days I have a lot of anxiety going into work at the hospital. Now I arrive early and do my TM in the car in the parking garage prior to my shift. It helps me to start the shift calmly and optimistically, with patience and compassion.”
Another nurse says: “The best benefit for me so far is that TM helps me turn off work at night. I do not dream of patients all night and I sleep better.” Resilience is the ability to bounce back from the overwhelming influence of challenges and obstacles. Nurses nationwide are losing their ability to bounce back and are, quite literally, running on fumes. Even before the pandemic nurses had been looking for ways to deal with compassion fatigue, burnout and moral distress.
The Transcendental Meditation technique, through its effect in reducing stress and optimizing brain functioning, builds resilience to stress. Research has shown that TM practitioners habituate more quickly to stressors and that they demonstrate fewer stressful responses to the same stressful situations over time.
Faster recovery from stress and anxiety
The physiological effect during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique is the opposite of the stress response. In published studies, TM meditators have been shown to experience less of the harmful internal stress responses and startle responses compared to non-meditating control subjects of the same age and demographics.Transcendental Meditation increases our inner balance, calmness and resilience so that fear and anxiety are triggered more rarely.
Nurses report that during and after the practice of the TM technique, they often feel less stressed, happier, and more focused. The effects of TM carry into activity even after TM.
We are happy to have been teaching the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation program to many hundreds of nurses around the United States during the pandemic, helping them prevent and reduce stress and anxiety, salvaging their personal and professional lives and keeping our hospitals and clinics fully staffed going forward.
We would love to be able to offer TM to each and every nurse. Nurses are the heart of the healthcare system; we need to do everything we can to keep them safe, resilient and able to live healthy, successful personal and professional lives.
“I still deal with burnout and stress on a daily basis, but I believe that TM 2x a day has helped me come to terms with my negative emotions instead of ignoring my problems. I have been able to experience my stress and place it in front of me. I am learning how to manage what I am going through. TM has allowed me to be more mindful of my surroundings, instead of running on autopilot.”
ANGELICA MANANGAN, BSN, RN
“We are all so overwhelmed—too much noise in our heads! TM truly teaches a way to find the quiet, open our brains and make space. This is a collective effort by nurses, for nurses, to preserve our quality of life and keep our profession alive.”
BETSY GARNER-ANDRUS RN, BSN
“TM practice is effortless and unlike other meditations I have tried. TM has given me a calmness and a centeredness. Since beginning ™ prtacticeI have felt better rested and focused. I view my practice as a much needed and beneficial form of self-care that then extends to better outcomes, both in my professional and personal life. I have more creative energy than previously, more patience and more joy.”
AMY SANNES RN, BSN