Panic Attacks have taken away all Confidence

[SilverNurse]

Hello All,

I wanted to throw out this topic and see if anyone has ever had any similar experience with panic.

My name is Michael and I am a 34-year-old nursing student. I am halfway through my program and currently on my Summer break for another 6 weeks. At the beginning of Summer, I began having panic attacks which continued for many weeks. My specific experience during a panic attack is not your classic heart attack symptoms but instead, I dissociate from my mind and have a full-on mental episode. This is all new to me and it has completely changed my life. The continuation of these experiences is never-ending as I now wake up each morning feeling fear. It is like I wake up into a world that I now know it can happen at any time, so the world is suddenly just scary beyond belief and I just want to sleep. I have started taking an Anti-Anxiety med a few weeks ago but it just makes me feel foggy and a little apathetic.

Last year I started out confident and despite my BSN nursing school bring an absolute beast, I held onto who I was inside. I feel like I have lost that person. The individual I know who completed all those pre-reqs and classes to succeed seems to have been lost in all this fear. Instead of being excited to continue my education and career, I now fear whether or not I have the ability to even focus on writing a solid paper or study the content I need to know.

Has anyone ever dealt with dissociation/panic and if so, how did you progress from there?

Thanks for reading

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

You stated you started medication and that is good. If it isn't working for you, you need to get back with your provider and try something else. You also need to see a professional to help you deal with this. I am sorry you are going through it, as it does sound concerning for your future as a nurse. Get help right away, before your semester starts up again. My heart goes out to you.