Burning the candle at both ends...

Nursing Students General Students

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I literally feel burnt out. I've been getting only one day off per week, if I'm lucky. I am in the hardest semester of my program, I work part time and I have a 3 year old. We're about halfway thru the semester and this is where it starts to get intense. The rest of Oct will be absolutely filled with things to do. Nov will ease up a bit, but I can't see the end in sight right now. Help!

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Sounds about right for nursing school. I think most students feel this way (a few don't, and I see them post here, but I've never met one of these people in person). I remember one of our instructors giving us this speech that felt so condescending (though definitely NOT intended to be that way) about making sure to take off one whole day every week. YYYYYEEEAAAAAHHHH. That's not realistic for most people. We ALL wanted to smack her.

Try to keep your eye on the prize. I know it's tough! What have you been doing to manage your stress? For me, it's running, and I kept it up through nursing school (though preceptorship took a HUGE amount of my running with it).

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Specializes in ICU/ER, Maternal, Psych.

It fought isn't it??? Let me give you some encouragement; I am a student and wife and a mother of three. I would 32 hours a week (NOC shift) and am in nursing school. My house is a mess and I'm not always nice but its the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps me going. if you are religious... pray and ask Heavenly Father for strength, take a warm bath with episome salts. you got this.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

((HUGS)) Breathe....you are almost there!

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Specializes in None yet..
It fought isn't it??? Let me give you some encouragement; I am a student and wife and a mother of three. I would 32 hours a week (NOC shift) and am in nursing school. My house is a mess and I'm not always nice but its the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps me going. if you are religious... pray and ask Heavenly Father for strength, take a warm bath with episome salts. you got this.

And even if you're not religious.... PRAY. Getting in touch with the reality that there is something bigger than you and you can trust it will save your ass. At least it saved mine.

Funning should be a required course. Or treadmill or anything that makes you sweat. And massage doesn't hurt. I'm blessed to be in a city where you can get a Hong Kong chair massage for $30.

Can you expand your support circle? Family, peers, community resources? Remember, anything you learn now you can use to help others later.

Don't forget, you're almost there and you will make it.

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It can only get easier.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply look at the trees, not the forest. Make an activity timeline. Stick to it. As difficult as this is, find time for yourself. Take naps whenever you can. Just go one day at at time if necessary. This is doable. You just have to look for your path.... it's there!

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

You can do it!

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