Does the stress from Nursing follow you home?

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Hello everyone!

I'm an upcoming nursing student and I've been 'ghosting' or should I say, reading on this forum for weeks without ever posting. I've been researching what nursing is all about myself (not asking others to decide!) so I can decide if its right for me. I don't want to waste your time, or my own, or money that I simply do not have.

Stress is a killer. I understand that no matter which career you fall into, you will be faced with stressful situations. I have a great support system, but I definitely don't want work to follow me home every night and make me so stressed that I can't help but to cry every night when I go home. I ask every nurse I meet and every nursing student I meet if they like nursing or not. Half of the people I meet love nursing, and some do not like it and regret going to school for nursing because it's 'too stressful' typically. Because I hear so much negativity about the stress, I am just concerned with if it will affect my health. I have hyperthyroidism, and my endochronologist has come to the conclusion that I internalize stress and that causes my thyroid to go whacky and over-produce thyroid hormones. In any case, I can handle stress to a certain degree. I've worked a job before that I absolutely hated, my boss was horrible to everyone and violated so many rules in the handbook. There was so much stress and drama in the workplace, I just went home every night and cried. work always came home with me and it was awful. Do nurses experience THIS kind of stress? What kinds of things do you find the most stressful as a nurse and is it at least barable?

I imagine (from reading many posts here at allnurses forums) that the most stressful situations will be the tremendous emotional demands from patients. Can anyone tell me their own experience with this, how stressful it was for you, and how you dealt with it? I want to be a nurse, I want to be a good nurse. I don't want to be a nurse that comes to work so stressed out that is unable to do her job correctly and more likely to make a mistake. I want to be prepared, and I look up to all of you for advice. Thank you!

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Honestly, no, because it would destroy my life to keep every burden from work on my shoulders when I come home. After I walk out the doors, I drop the metaphorical load of work off my back and focus solely on my personal life, issues, problems, goals, friends and family, my free time. I love my job, but I cannot fix or solve every patient's problem. I do my best for them at work and if I see them outside of work, I do hope the best for them, but I can't carry the weight of the world around every day. I have to take care of myself sometimes, too.

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That's good to know.. So you have time for kids/family and you're able to relax without thinking about how awful your day is sometimes? Are you on 12 hour shifts or 8 hours?

When I read the thread 'the realities of nursing' everyone makes nursing sound so awful.. it just scares me to think about the stress and taking it home..

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I was on 8's, it was much worse than now, I'm on 12's. I am high-strung a few hours at night after I come home and can't sleep or do much besides vegetate, but then I am okay.

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Hello everyone!

I'm an upcoming nursing student and I've been 'ghosting' or should I say, reading on this forum for weeks without ever posting. I've been researching what nursing is all about myself (not asking others to decide!) so I can decide if its right for me. I don't want to waste your time, or my own, or money that I simply do not have.

Stress is a killer. I understand that no matter which career you fall into, you will be faced with stressful situations. I have a great support system, but I definitely don't want work to follow me home every night and make me so stressed that I can't help but to cry every night when I go home. I ask every nurse I meet and every nursing student I meet if they like nursing or not. Half of the people I meet love nursing, and some do not like it and regret going to school for nursing because it's 'too stressful' typically. Because I hear so much negativity about the stress, I am just concerned with if it will affect my health. I have hyperthyroidism, and my endochronologist has come to the conclusion that I internalize stress and that causes my thyroid to go whacky and over-produce thyroid hormones. In any case, I can handle stress to a certain degree. I've worked a job before that I absolutely hated, my boss was horrible to everyone and violated so many rules in the handbook. There was so much stress and drama in the workplace, I just went home every night and cried. work always came home with me and it was awful. Do nurses experience THIS kind of stress? What kinds of things do you find the most stressful as a nurse and is it at least barable?

I imagine (from reading many posts here at allnurses forums) that the most stressful situations will be the tremendous emotional demands from patients. Can anyone tell me their own experience with this, how stressful it was for you, and how you dealt with it? I want to be a nurse, I want to be a good nurse. I don't want to be a nurse that comes to work so stressed out that is unable to do her job correctly and more likely to make a mistake. I want to be prepared, and I look up to all of you for advice. Thank you!

It can be VERY VERY STRESSFUL. to know you are responsible for multiple lives at the same time and might be working ill equiped with resources, time and staff. Hating the type of job is one thing many people can tolerate, i think, but added to the stress of the job it is terrible. I try to compartamentalize as much as possible. leave my work persona behind. but sometimes it is very hard. and i find myself outside of working thinking about it and that , "there by the grace of god go i"

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