5.2.2. Taking Mental Breaks When off Duty
Another factor that decreased participants’ stress was taking mental breaks while they were off duty. This theme
consisted of two subcategories: awareness of the importance of taking time off and recognizing physical symptoms
such as fatigue. Participants were aware of the need to take time off in order to reduce their stress and expand
their chief nurses’ training. Participants’ comments included:
“I think we need to take some rest. Some nurse managers work all the time without taking rest, so I believe
we need rest.”
“In the past, even if I took rest, I received many phone calls, so I couldn’t take sufficient rest. Today, I transferred
my responsibility to the chief nurse so I can take rest. I think it improves the chief’s motivation as well.”