How to get over being shy?

[mdm063]

I'm in my third week of nursing school and had a huge hit in the face today. Our first check off is next Wednesday and we have to use a fellow student as a patient, addressing them, explaining to them what we are doing all that just as if it were a real patient. Talking to people in the performance like way freaks me out. When I try to do it my throat closes and I feel like i am naked giving a national speech.

A little background; I've always been this way. I never played sports in my life because of a fear of messing up in front of my peers. My problem isn't with potential patient or other people who I most likely won't meet again, it is with people like my class mates who have the next to years to criticize me.

So how did you deal with this? What made you more comfortable etc?

Please don't tell me just get over this, it's not that easy for me. Also I do not need anyone to tell me to quit and give up my dream

[sacha bell]

This is probably like the worst advise ever, but when I find it difficult to talk to someone, I try to imagine them as when they were children. Playful and worry free. I try to connect to that person on that idea that they have no worries and neither do I. Have you ever notice how easy it is for kids to make friends? I often drop my nieces off at their school(elementary) and I'm amazed how these kids have no social rules like we do now. They don't care about the skin tone or clothes of another kid, they care about playing, laughing and having a good time.

[Summer Days]

You are normal. Many of us share the same fear, myself included. I did challenge myself prior to starting nursing school. In my classes preceding nursing school, I made the decision to ask a question or two in each class meeting (I was never the type who asked questions in class. I would have rather go see the instructor during office hours). Because asking a question in class meant that the entire class paid attention to you, I had to have some confidence in me to ask questions. With that I gained confidence and I maintained the same mindset as I entered nursing school. I have not completely overcome shyness but I am better now than I was a year ago. Often times we forget that the best learning occurs when we make mistakes and are humble enough to learn from them. Start practicing skills with your non-nursing friends and family members. You will be surprised at how much confidence you have. Then apply yourself in those situations that require you to speak. You will not know where you need improvement if you do not speak. Then remember nobody bites and that other students may also be facing the same problem so you are not alone.

[seriouslyserious, LPN]

you do realize you will NEVER see these people again once you finish school. and chances are, they probably are as clueless as you. i do not have a problem asking for help, or admitting i do not know something... which is a problem with the majority of nursing students nowadays. they will toss you under the bus because they don't "want to be criticized" for not knowing something or procedure. remember, you are learning... don't take yourself too seriously.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

you do realize you will NEVER see these people again once you finish school. and chances are they probably are as clueless as you. i do not have a problem asking for help, or admitting i do not know something... which is a problem with the majority of nursing students nowadays. they will toss you under the bus because they don't "want to be criticized" for not knowing something or procedure. remember, you are learning... don't take yourself too seriously.[/quote']

In my city, at my hospital, half of the nurses come from my school. Vegas may be a famous city, but it's still a small world.

My advice: think about how often you are worried and self conscious. That is how everyone else is in their heads.

[malestunurse]

I hate role playing, my mind races when I do them. Just try to get through it as efficiently as possible.

[auralae]

I was the same way. As a child, I was so shy that I would sometimes cry if I got embarrassed. I went through first semester watching my clinical partner talk away with patients, classmates, etc. It finally hit me about halfway through that if I was going to be a great nurse, I was going to have to be a great communicator, and that standing back and watching would do nothing for me in the long run! So long story short, you won't get over this until you put yourself out there enough. Eventually it won't be uncomfortable. Promise.

[coolinbysound]

I feel you. I'm sort of the same way, I'm not particularly shy, I just am not interested in talking with people most of the time so I never really like to talk and people always assume because I'm shy. I'm very introverted.

But sometimes I do have social anxiety disorder when I'm in new situations/places so to counteract this I usually experiment with different personalities that help me get accustomed to the new change. It's kind of like wearing a mask so people don't really know the true me. I don't know if that really makes sense but it has helped with my nervousness with new people.

You just have to find different things that work for you. Don't be afraid to try anything.

[juniper583]

It just takes practice. I'm a new nursing student as well but have been in the healthcare field in some role or another for quite a while. Just remember that you are all doing the same thing and the rest of your class is probably just as nervous as you are.

[Ruth M]

Being shy was one of the things I was most worried about too - I got over it (somewhat, at least) by volunteering at a hospital. What I do there doesn't really have anything to do with nursing, but just getting comfortable in a hospital setting helps out - and I also learned that while some patients can be in a bad mood, they're not monsters. Some patients have mentioned to me that their nurses are shy, but it seems to me that these nurses are the ones that the patients relate to the most, so they appreciate them a lot.