Anybody having anxiety issues yet?

[Nepenthe Sea]

I'm so weird...in August I will start the second semester of a 5-semester program (ADN), and will be starting clinicals for the first time. I couldn't wait. I was the dork that wanted summer to be over so I could get back to school (which I love). I have been reading nursing books when I have time, and have spent lots of time here reading about clinicals.

Well, everything changed last week. I started having anxiety dreams about school, like that I didn't get to graduate, or that I was at the school and couldn't find my classes or remember my schedule, etc. Then I began to feel kind of anxious about school starting, and started to dread the idea. The other night, I was thinking about school, and I just started crying and couldn't stop. I have NEVER done that with school before! I feel nauseous sometimes when I think about clinicals. I see people at the grocery store where I work and realize that I will have to give someone like them a bed bath or cath them and I just think, I don't know if I can do this. I have actually heard myself saying "What have I gotten myself into??"

I have never had this kind of anxiety about nursing, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. I have been reading on here about the shortage of nursing jobs for new grads, and that has me worried (going through 2.5 years of hell and not even being able to get a job). I also read all the horror stories about NS on here, so maybe it's starting to get to me. I saw my advisor a couple of weeks ago and she was filling out some transcript info for me, so she can see that I have had nothing but A's and she asked how last semester went. I said "great" and she said "well, the next semester is going to be alot harder." I am sure it will be, but she doesn't usually try to scare me. Not that I think she was really trying to scare me, just warn me, but...:uhoh21:

Is anyone else feeling anxious about this?

[Nervous1]

I am starting nursing school with a well established history of anxiety LOL. Thats what Celexa and Ambien is for :) I have taken Celexa for a long time and it works great for me. Hopefully it will continue to work the next 11 months. I would really hate to have to change meds mid stream.

I wish I had some regular insight on how to handle stress and anxiety without the use of meds - but I fought and lost the battle with that years ago. Nothing worked for me.

[avidgolfer3]

I was told this is completely normal lol. I asked my nursing instructors about anxiety and why I would be so scared now that I am about to start the actual program versus the prereqs. She told me that it would be more weird to NOT be scared. I worry about such things as being in clinicals with the DR in ER and him getting mad because I dont know what I am doing. I KNOW how mean some of them can be because I answer calls for them all the time as the emergency operator at my hospital. I know which ones are nice and which ones arent, and I feel scared to death about having to work with the ones that I know are *sses! Oh well, this too shall pass, and before you know it you will be done and looking back thinking to yourself how you are so glad its over! You might even come out of it with some advice to offer to newly scared students

[goodstudentnowRN]

I think it is normal to feel anxious. I have one more course to go then I start preceptorship and I feel very anxious. I just have to build up some coping mechanisms for this issue.