Anxious nurse.... should I leave nursing?

[PedsRN810]

Hi! Just to give context I have been a nurse for 3 years now. I worked on a floor with adults in the hospital for 2 years and while there were some good things/ a lot of learning, I hated it. I would cry on the way to and from work and was just too overwhelmed/ anxious and so depressed during those 2 years. I also have social anxiety so it was hard around co-workers. I switched to private duty nursing working with Peds and compared to the hospital it is a dream job for me.. but my anxiety is so bad at work some days I feel like I can barely function. Boundaries are also super hard in PDN with parents/ dealing with manipulation and guilt tripping. I was in counseling for anxiety when switching from my last job that seemed to help but I have started counseling again recently. I am debating whether I should stick it out with my current PDN case (but try to be better with boundaries/ continue counseling), if I should switch cases within PDN, if I should apply to a Peds clinc or something similar, or just give up nursing all together. (If so, I literally don't know what I'd do or where I'd work and would be so upset/ ashamed if I wasted those 4 years of school for nothing..)

[moomin, LPN]

You are not alone. I have anxiety too before work and sometimes I have social anxiety too. Some days worse than others. I am trying to be patient with myself. Take deep breaths. Tell yourself you are trying your best and that is what matters. Reading positive affirmations can help you get a lighter perspective on your day. You are an amazing nurse, you are helping children. That is a beautiful gift to share with the world. You are stronger than you think and you have a big heart. The world needs nurses like you. You deserve to be happy and you can be happy. Maybe consider part-time work if you are full-time to ease the stress. Some of my stress relievers that may help you as well are being outside with nature, exercising, eating healthy, playing with my dogs, drawing, deep breathing, yoga, essential oils like lavender, reading positive affirmations, and meditating. I will leave you with an affirmation, "I choose to live with courage. I do not allow others to intimidate me. I stand my ground. I never give up."

[PedsRN810]

On 8/17/2020 at 1:31 PM, moomin said:

You are not alone. I have anxiety too before work and sometimes I have social anxiety too. Some days worse than others. I am trying to be patient with myself. Take deep breaths. Tell yourself you are trying your best and that is what matters. Reading positive affirmations can help you get a lighter perspective on your day. You are an amazing nurse, you are helping children. That is a beautiful gift to share with the world. You are stronger than you think and you have a big heart. The world needs nurses like you. You deserve to be happy and you can be happy. Maybe consider part-time work if you are full-time to ease the stress. Some of my stress relievers that may help you as well are being outside with nature, exercising, eating healthy, playing with my dogs, drawing, deep breathing, yoga, essential oils like lavender, reading positive affirmations, and meditating. I will leave you with an affirmation, "I choose to live with courage. I do not allow others to intimidate me. I stand my ground. I never give up."

Moomin, Thank you so much for your kind comment!! I am going to continue to try to work on doing things that help reduce my stress. So nice to hear I'm not alone! Again, thank you SOOO much!