lvnthedrm

Hello All! I started my nursing school journey four weeks ago. So far, I have not gotten completely stressed out which has surprised me but I am trying to stay calm and remember that all will be okay. I have struggled with social anxiety since high school and through out college it has progressively gotten worse. I have not resorted to taking prescribed medication as I am afraid what effect it might have. On top of my social anxiety I have hyperhidrosis which is excessive perspiration. I have suffered from this since I was about 13 or 14 years old. As I have gotten older it has worsened. Some people sweat excessively just through their palms, just through their feet, or their arm pits. Unfortunately, I sweat excessively through all three routes. I will tell you skills check off has been a struggle. When we were going through a procedure which required gloves everyone had put theirs on and I was literally struggling to get my fingers through mine. I have tried every method for medication except surgery and not one has helped. Back to my anxiety, what it feels like: When I am sitting in the classroom I feel as though everyone is paying attention to me and judging me, even though I can see all their eyes focused on the front of the room. And during check offs, it feels like the instructors and other students are there to scrutinize everything I do (which they're not because they're focusing on themselves, the "pt", and the tasks at hand. But it is a feeling that will not go away no matter what you say to your self. It creates a barrier between my learning, classmates, and my skills to give the utmost care possible. When I am asked an application question during check offs, I can not think straight and it takes me a minute to pull the answer out of my head because what I am actually thinking about is, does this instructor like me? why is she looking at me like that? do I know this question? am I capable of knowing or answering this question? It is difficult but I just try to focus on God, my family, the reason I want to make it through this, and how many people I can help in my lifetime if I can overcome these struggles. I know, no matter what happens everything will be okay. I hope I can catch another nursing student's attention with one or both of the same issues I am facing. We can empower and encourage one another! :) I also want to ask: Does anyone else struggle with these issues? If so, how do you cope? Any nursing school advice with these struggles? Annddd any solutions? Thanks, y'all!