help :o(

Don't think about flunking out!!! You have to stay positive!! You can make it through. Just tell yourself what grade you need to make to keep your passing grade. That's what I did and it helped me a lot. You can do this!!!

Sometimes I am so discouraged with my patient assignments at work.

Fear, discouragement, and lack of motivation are part of working life sometimes. School is a practice run.

Here is your opportunity to learn to manage these feelings.

My words of wisdom: Take care of yourself. Go have that bubble bath. Take a walk. Snuggle with your kids or loved one. It's the little things that help keep me sane. :redpinkhe

I graduated from nursing school over a year ago. There were so many times I felt exactly how you are describing. I played little games with myself to keep going. I would have a specific time spent studying imediately followed by a specific reward. Study for an hour, then walk around the block. Study for half an hour, then eat 2 cookies. I made tons of flash cards and had my family/friends quiz me. You're studying and spending time with your loved ones. I think a huge part of my success was making a friend in school who had a similar thinking pattern, but a different studying method. We were able to keep up with each other but each brought a different technique of tackling a subject. There were many times we studied very little and ranted the majority. That's healthy. Keep your goal in mind. The back of my binder had a special picture of myself and my boyfriend. When things got extra hard I would look at it and remember that finishing nursing school was helping provide for our future. It was a huge motivation. Remember how strong you are!! Take it one day at a time. It'll be over before you know it!!!

You CAN do this!! At the end of my first year, I was in a car accident and spent a week in ICU, not to mention how much other school I missed. In order to pass a class, you had to have a C average, not a C-. I got a C- by 0.02%. I was so distressed about it, not to mention my burns and broken limbs still healing at that point. I had to wait 9 months to retake that class! Then my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, my boyfriend of 3 years dumped me and moved out of state. To start off my other year, my aunt (who was in nursing school with me) was in a MVA and broke her neck, became a quad instantly and was on life support for months before finally pulling through. Nursing school was nothing but a disaster for me, but I made it.

YOU CAN DO IT!! Life is full of surprises, as I"m sure you know well enough--you just gotta roll with the punches and take care of yourself!

Oh my goodness! You do not know how inspired these replies made me feel. Its just tough because my Dad lost his job, I couldn't afford my apartment and I lost my yorkie (still haven't found him).... I know that sounds so minimal compared to superRN it was hard to work to make up for that and study.

Super_RN I am so terribly sorry you had to go through all of that!! It is so great to hear that you stuck through nursing!! I'm going to take all this advice and try to motivate myself to do better.

Paddington RN that's such a great idea about putting a picture in your binder when things get tough. My boyfriend is my sweet release.. and he moved away for a job and we keep clinging onto how long I have to go in nursing school .. because that is when we will be able to be together again.

RNperidiem -- you are so right! We need to learn how to manage these feelings... they won't go away but we can learn how to deal with them

I just need to hold onto my dream, when I give up I get so disappointed in myself... I must keep going!!

I swear, my life seemed like a soap opera at the time. I forgot to mention my step mother kicked me out of the house because, and I quote, "You're 18. We're no longer obligated to feed you, shelter you, or do anything for you". So I lived with friends off and on (a lot of my family lived out of state) and just kept trucking away.

Just stay positive and focused on the light at the end of the tunnel!