New nurse with severe anxiety

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Hello I'm hoping someone can help me. I've only been a nurse for 2.5 months and I'm having a terrible time adjusting. I'm on a busy med/surg floor working night shift and I have severe anxiety and panic attacks. I'm not healthy and I cannot eat or sleep because I just hate it. I don't know if I'm just overwhelmed it if I hate being a nurse but i can't take care of my patients when I'm having anxiety like this. It clouds my judgement. Before I was a nurse I did home health care as an STNA and I also worked in the office. I have been offered a position there but they want me to continue to work at the hospital a little bit too. I just don't know if I can go back to the hospital because it sends me into a panic attack. Someone please help.

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We can not give medical advice per AN TOS, however, I would seek some counseling for stress management.

Best wishes

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As the previous poster said, we cannot give any medical advice. However, I can share with you my experience...I have a very similar story to yours - was a new nurse on a busy busy floor and felt completely overwhelmed and anxious all the time. I had never suffered with anxiety before and didn't know how to cope. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat and every day my work suffered from all of this. Everyone told me it would pass with time but in the moment it was hard to believe that. I knew I couldn't continue the way it was so I saw my doctor and she prescribed me Klonopin to take the night before I worked (I work days)...since it's a longer acting benzo it helped with anxiety and allowed me not only to sleep but also to function with a decreased level of anxiety the next day. As I felt more comfortable on my unit I began weaning off the Klonopin and haven't taken any for a few months now. I'm 8 months in at work and am thriving. Hopefully this gives you some encouragement. It does get better, but there's no shame in needing help to get there. Best of luck. Stay strong!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Please see a mental health professional. We can't help you here, per TOS.

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Specializes in Critical care.

There's a whole section here on AN for "first year of licensure" or similarity worded. Look under the nursing career section, I think. There are pages and pages of stories about folks feeling the heat while learning the ropes. Lots to take away outside of medical advice.

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Okay thank you everyone

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Specializes in Surg- PACU/Anaes.

Hey sweet, I have been in a similar situation, I suffer from a chronic anxiety disorder from childhood. If you are this bad now, you need to pop along to a Doc and get some help. Trust me, you will drive yourself into a hole otherwise. There is nothing wrong with getting some help! Good luck :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Hey sweet, I have been in a similar situation, I suffer from a chronic anxiety disorder from childhood. If you are this bad now, you need to pop along to a Doc and get some help. Trust me, you will drive yourself into a hole otherwise. There is nothing wrong with getting some help! Good luck :)

This.

Also, look into getting brain sheets here on AN to get organized; tailor it to what fits your needs.

Also the first year is a HUGE learning curve; if one already had anxiety, it helps to have ones health in order; even speaking to a professional to help with coping strategies could improve anxiety.

Best wishes.

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Is it really "medical advice" to discuss the stress and anxiety of being a brand new nurse?

I guess you have to draw the line somewhere, but I don't see that being it. Unless people are going to start discussing medication regiments to treat it.

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Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.

Or you could look for a non-hospital job. Not that you shouldn't see a doctor, but some nurses aren't cut out to be working in a hospital. There is NOTHING wrong with that. How do I know? I am one of those nurses. Bedside nursing and I just didn't vibe.... and that's ok. I was always, always, always stressed as a bedside nurse. I'd constantly worry that I wasn't fast enough or that I was doing something wrong. Plus, there was just so much paperwork. Now I work as an RN at an Urgent Care clinic and I LOVE it. I still do plenty of nursing skills i.e. IV starts, blood draws, cats, wound care, etc. and the fast pace keeps me on my toes. Maybe you should look into that? Or maybe working at a doctor's office?

Bottom line is don't do something that makes you miserable. Take a step back, re-examine everything, and see your doctor. I'm willing to bet a combo of that will make things better.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Is it really "medical advice" to discuss the stress and anxiety of being a brand new nurse?

I guess you have to draw the line somewhere, but I don't see that being it. Unless people are going to start discussing medication regiments to treat it.

Having such severe anxiety that you cannot eat, sleep or take care of patients is beyond the normal stress and anxiety of being a brand new nurse.

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Look in to Sensorimotor therapy. It can really help with anxiety and how it affects the body via physical symptoms.

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