PurplePRN

Thank you! I greatly appreciate the feedback. :)

Yes, please. Do you know what the graduation rate is? Is it more than half? And do you feel that the main goal of the staff is to support and educate, or to try to stress, discourage and eliminate you? Thanks!

If it were me, I'd stay in Arizona. Nursing school is stressful beyond compare. You will need the sun, fresh air, and the comfort of established relationships.

I'm going to bump this as I'd like to know as well, please. Thanks!

Streamline......... Standing O!

I had the most amazing clinical day today. :) This is what keeps you going....................

LOL! Okay, I have to admit embarrassment is my greatest motivator too. It makes me feel better to see that others have had to tap into creative ways to keep going as well. I can relate to and take away from everyone, money, time invested, etc. But man, I feel like I have to remind myself more than I should for something that I feel so driven to do. Thanks for the input. :)

I feel like I'm working my tail off nailing jello to a wall. And I'm only in first semester.

LOL! Thank you for the tip! :)

This is me too! And makes me SO angry because I know the material but can't even concentrate well enough to read the directions for the quizzes and tests, much less the questions. I had a mild case in "regular" classes like A&P and Micro, but nothing like the core nursing classes. Things that I have been trying and seem to have some effect: 1. Wear earplugs. Can't say this enough. I'm like you and hear every single pencil mark, mouse click, etc. My own heartbeat is deafening. Also, something about that pressure on your ears gives you a different sensory stim that keeps your mind off the anxiety some. 2. Ask for a seat in the front/corner......where you see hardly any people. The key is to avoid movements that you'll catch out of the corner of your eye. Have a window with a view of the sky and trees? Try to get it. 3. Practice abdominal/relaxation breathing, you tube or google for demos. Also, muscle tension/relaxation therapy. 4. Tell yourself it doesn't matter if you bomb the test and never become a nurse. No one will die. You are still on this side of the top soil and you can do something else. Oh well. (SO SO hard to do, but really, if you can let it go, it helps.) I'm still working on this one. If we fail, we get our life back, right? LOL! 5. Do the math problems first. But only if it's therapeutic for you. Math helps me focus and brings me down a peg. Do you get anxiety when you study as well? I do. That's why I'm on here today. I was studying and my heart rate started going just thinking about how I hope I'm not missing some material or concept or random fact I need to know. Then the dizziness set in. I immediately stopped and came to take a break. I'm going to make some chamomile tea now.

Honestly, I wouldn't do it. Take it before or in the summer between nursing semesters. The first semester is like boot camp and being hazed all at once. Make things as easy on yourself as possible. Eh, easy isn't the right word. Make things less difficult on yourself.......more appropriate.

Ha! PM'd. I'm not THAT brave yet! Esp since I haven't learned anything yet. Thank you SO much!

Am I the only brand new student (week two! LOL) who has NO clue what they are doing yet who got all excited trying to solve this? LOL! I'm going to PM you what I think it is and my rationale Esme, if that's okay? Because this will bug me ALL DAY. I don't want to annoy you though.................

Another way to think about it, would you rather have a slice of pie from a pie that was cut into 20 pieces or 200?

I am never alone. God's will, not mine. Singing "You Are My All in All" helps too. I kinda let my focus drift from God that last week and I had a meltdown yesterday. This thread is well timed for me. OP, I love the "just keep swimming" mantra too.