Help Severe Anxiety!

Take a deep breath :)

Go to the park and take a walk. As you are walking, reflect back on your career. Remember all of your victories. Really try to visualize all of the wonderful things that you have done.

Remember your smiling patients. Then maybe even take an RN refresher course :)

best of luck to you

Are you getting professional assistance? Counselling and meds ARE useful. Many of us go through these times.

You have most likely done many wonderful things during your career and in your life.

Best wishes, and take care of yourself.

Therapy, lots of therapy. :)

You just have to go for it and forget that someone else can lead you into the right direction. YOU are your own coach and are capable of doing what you need to do. Just get started, and go from there. The more you lay around worrying, the worse it will get. If you fail, so what, learn from it and go on. You can't rely on other people to coach you into it. You give it a try, keep trying until you get it!! So what if it take multiple attempts. Many of us have been there!!

We work in a tough profession. We don't often stop and reflect on the amoutn of suffering we witness, the stories we hold, and the compassion we offer to others that we DON'T offer ourselves. I have struggled with anxiety too, and I had a doozy of a month a few months back...the kind that make you questions your deepest reasons for being in healthcare, and working with people at all. (Don't worry, nobody died and no patient complaints were filed, just a bad month. :))

Hadn't done therapy in more than a decade, and WOW! What a luxury service. I am so grateful for the insight it has brought about...and an occasional xanax when appropriate is OK!

Wishing you well, friend. As others have said, remember your VICTORIES! your skills, and that part of you that goes deeper than being a nurse, that will always be intact, innocent, and brilliant. Get back on that horse, and happy healing!

:confused:I have been an RN for 13 years , I have 6 years of OR experience. I have been off for awhile due to anxiety and other health issues. How do I get my confidence back? I feel like a total failure and a loser.

i'm hoping you got professional help with your anxiety problems.

i had major, MAJOR anxiety issues and my dr. prescribed me an ssri (this was in the 90's), which are known for their anti-anxiety agents.

i was also prescribed prn anxiolytics (ativan) but i found they made me even more depressed so i refused to take them.

i suppose they're good for those panic situations that you cannot talk yourself down from.

anyways, if you haven't already, please get some professional help...

including a good therapist.

sometimes you have to interview a few before you find one you fit with.

and yes, a refresher course if you've been away for more than a couple of years.

it saddens me you're feeling this way, and strongly encourage you to get any/all help and support you need...

because you are not a loser/failure...i promise you.

you can do this.

stay in touch.:)

leslie

I used self-hypnosis in the past, made a tape about a situation (work procedure) to help me overcome my anxiety, which was based on multiple negative instances of crashing patients and problems during the procedure (pulling sheaths) all the typical issues, bleeding, hematoma, vasovagal, etc. We were doing a lot of caths with sheath pulls and I had become very gun shy and felt trapped every time I'd get a patient that I had to pull sheaths. Even though of course most pulls went all right, the disaster situations were always in my mind and I would experience anxiety attacks which didn't help, because it was a daily task on my floor due to the high volume of PTCA patients.

Anyway I made a relaxing tape with calming music and just told myself I didn't have to be afraid, I could do it, etc. I don't remember the words exactly, but I was amazed after listening to it just one time I know longer experienced the anxiety and dread that I used to. I realized I could handle it, whatever happened, I knew what to do and would be able to do it.

Re anxiety it also helps to know you have friends/coworkers to count on for support. There were certain people I would work with that were calm and friendly and helpful and whenever they were on I felt safe and knew they would help me if something went wrong. I thank God for those many wonderful nurses, kind coworkers, behind the scenes, who helped me along the journey from being anxious and afraid of my own shadow to the confident nurse I am today!

The new nurses are lucky because many hospitals now have the emergency medical response teams to call on when they have a problem, question, or concern. Back in the day you were it and you just hoped the doctor would call you back quickly and your coworkers would help you which was not always the case.

Nowadays the only thing that unnerves me is angry, hovering families when you have a difficult patient. I know I can handle whatever comes my way and have always been able to prevent a code, unless it was something out of the blue like a cardiac arrythmia. But it is difficult to deal with angry, upset families in my face when I'm doing everything I can but the patient is doing poorly and doesn't have a good prognosis. Another reason I like working night shift as you avoid a lot of the family drama!

Thanks everyone! Yes I am going to therapy and being followed by my md, I just think I need to move on in nursing to a different area.