Zen Den: A Novel Approach to Promote Well-Being in the Workplace

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Nursing Well-being
• Stress Management

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic heightened stress and anxiety among healthcare professionals.
• Holistic nursing approaches were explored to support nurse well-being in high-stress environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief, mobile well-being session incorporating Reiki and meditation.
• To assess the impact on perceived stress, anxiety, happiness, and coping ability in nurses.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 10-minute "Zen Den" session combining hands-on Reiki with streamed meditation.
• Utilized pre and post-self-assessments with Likert scales for data collection.
• Two Reiki-certified holistic nurses administered the sessions.

Main Results:

• Participants (N=92) reported a 46% decrease in perceived stress and a 45% decrease in anxiety.
• Reported a 17% increase in happiness and an 18% increase in perceived coping ability.
• The intervention demonstrated significant positive outcomes for nurse well-being.

Conclusions:

• A brief, resource-efficient holistic well-being program can effectively mitigate workplace stress and anxiety.
• Reiki and meditation offer a viable approach to enhance nurse happiness and coping.
• This novel approach is adaptable for implementation in various healthcare settings.