How to relax within the job role rather than being stressed?

JentheRN05, RN · Oct 15, 2006

I had major issues with anxiety during my first year. This might be your problem. I found this out when I started coming to work in tears because i was so anxious about working. It was rediculas.

Ended up seeing a doctor and getting prescribed xanax .25mg which was what I needed to keep calm.

Another thing that I did was to remind myself that this is just another day, tomorrow will be another day. If I don't get everything done that I expect of myself I can always do better tomorrow.

I was extremely hard on myself and ended up making a med error WHEN I had a preceptor. She even checked it (it was insulin - have to check it with another nurse at that facility).

Anyway - just remember what doesn't kill us (and going to work won't) only makes us stronger :pumpiron:

hica19 · Oct 15, 2006

I believe stress and anxiety is a problem of mine also. I mean I can use critical thinking and I have quite a bit of nursing knowledge (if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have passed the Hesi first time around with a high score, nor the Nclex first time around with only 75 questions). Put these things in a real life situation, and things are different. If you have read my thread in "first year of nursing", then you would see that my first job did not work out. And no, the reason was not because of the ever popular "nurses eat their young". I believe a large part of it had to do with stress and anxiety and me blanking out and forgetting to use critical thinking in several situations. The feeling of losing a job really is not a good feeling, but thinking about it, if I had continued on with training at the rate I was going, things probably could have gone worse. I know it's not the end of the world and I could start my training over again in a different area. This time though I'll know more of what to expect and regardless how my first job turned out, I did learn a lot more than when I had first started. These things are valuable which I can bring with me wherever my next move might be. And I've got to learn that if I suddenly because overwhelmingly stressed or panicky, it is ok to ask for help before my mind shuts down again.

On another note, I gotta say again that I really appreciate having a forum like this. It brings me a lot of comfort reading the various stories and knowing we are not alone. Thanks so much for all the support! =D