Can I be a nurse with social anxiety disorder?

Cream and sugar LPN · Jun 15, 2014

Sweetheart please first take a deep breath❤️

"I'm worried I won't get a schedule down good enough, i'm worried about the future interview. I'm worried about all this because I have this stupid anxiety disorder (social anxiety disorder) that really effects my performance in the real world. "

I'm sure you realize that stressing yourself out now over how you will handle the pressures of a nursing program will only derail your ambition. But I get it- it's the nature of the beast... Have you found a therapist yet that can help you with techniques such as breathing and CBT? Finding the right person can make a huge difference and will help you to learn to overcome your irrational fears. My child lives with this and OCD every. Single. Day.

And to answer your question- YES! I think you CAN and WILL be a fantastic nurse. I think you probably already know this..But first,take care of YOU.

rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jun 15, 2014

Listen to the advice above. It sounds really sound and from the heart. The only thing I have to add is get a good planner and write everything down to stay ahead and to not get behind. Do not always look at the magnitude of everything that is before you, concentrate on one task at a time.

I wish you the best.

Shelexis · Jun 15, 2014

My best friend suffers from social anxiety as well. She earned a masters degree in social work and is now (very successfully) working in a clinical setting as a therapist.

The trick is learning every thing you can and then relying on those skills everyday to do your job. Be confident in yourself and your abilities. There are lots of different jobs for nurses. And some don't actually require much interaction if that ends up being an obstacle Research all of the options

Learn everything. Take advantage of every opportunity and celebrate every small victory.

Best of wishes.

futureLVN40 · Jun 15, 2014

I have actually wondered the same thing as I also have the disorder. Although I do work as a Caregiver right now and am doing just fine. I think you will be a very good Nurse! You can do it! :yes:

Khalesi25 · Jun 15, 2014

You can do it! When planning your schedule, make sure to include some type of recreation. It helped me to have a clear purpose. Why do I decided to study Nursing? But they are right, above all take care of your health! Best wishes!

allnurses Guide · Jun 15, 2014

Yes, you can be a nurse with social anxiety disorder. There is a wide range of symptoms that can occur, and I do believe it's way too early to start stressing about interviews. The thing is that nursing school itself will give you an opportunity to see how you react in real situations, so that you will get to know your triggers a little bit at a time. You'll have classmates, instructors and eventually clinicals taking care of real patients.

Anxiety-prone people tend to fill in the blanks of actual real-life experience with the most catastrophic outcome our minds can conjure up and our mind and body "fight or flight reflex" oblige the imagined reality as if it were real.

I would suggest that when the time comes you do not try to hide your true nature, but just let people know you have the tendency and that you are working on it. I've found that trying to hide it usually makes things worse.

Most people can readily understand this, especially considering the serious responsibility nurses have to be competent providers, or the "I could actually kill someone if I mess this up!!!" syndrome.

Anxiety in it's various forms is extremely common among nurses and nursing students. There are many excellent articles and threads about this topic so a search of "anxiety", "panic", etc should yield you lots of resources. Take a deep breath and focus on the steps in front of you. Best wishes from one anxiety-prone person to another! :up:

alconos · Jun 15, 2014

thank you for the advice everyone, i wasnt expecting to see others with this problem

nandosport · Jun 15, 2014

Listen to the advice above. It sounds really sound and from the heart. The only thing I have to add is get a good planner and write everything down to stay ahead and to not get behind. Do not always look at the magnitude of everything that is before you, concentrate on one task at a time.
I wish you the best.

Definitely use a planner or your calendar app on your phone. Within the first 2 weeks of classes, sit down with all of your printed syllabi and read them thoroughly. Put all due dates and assignments in your planner or calendar app. Next, make a tentative study schedule with 2-3 things to get done per night. You don't have to finish everything on the schedule, but you should at least make about 2-4 hours worth of progress a day. And if you're not the type to study a lot on the weekends, don't lie to yourself in your study schedule. Also keep copies of your syllabi, so that you can reference them for professor office hours, supplemental instruction availability, or overall grade calculations.

nandosport · Jun 15, 2014

https://allnurses.com/showthread.php?t=846733

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 15, 2014

Short answer: yes.

There are any nurses who have social anxiety, mood disorders, etc who are on this site, including myself, who have succeeded in school and are working as nurses.

It's good to have a plan; even going to see a professional to help you strategize in handling social situations as suggested above. Utilize all studying resources at your local college as well.

Best wishes.

caliotter3 · Jun 16, 2014

Don't look at your job duties as "social interactions". Save "social interactions" (in your mind) for your hours outside of work. Stongly suggest you engage with a therapist to help you with this. You will find, as many others have, that as time goes on, and your experience deepens, it fades as a detractor in your everyday life. Yes, you are not alone in this. You would be surprised!