Severe Anxiety destroying me help..

[THENBHD]

Hi, guys, i hope you doing well,..

long story short i'm a nursing student last year hoping to be RN 6 months from now..

but every time i go to my shift i develop severe anxiety at the workplace and it reaches to the point that i can't even think or concentrate on my tasks, with panic attacks that is so unbearable, and also i developed TMD or TMJ From this whole situation that made me pause my internship program.i'm introvert person and mainly my Anxiety is a social Anxiety , I tried to be more open and communicate with co-workers and patients but I'm always on the edge and i burst into tears after every shift from the stress, even tho i don't have a patient under my care yet, still with my preceptor, i hope i will get better with time but it getting worse and worse i don't even know what to do any advice would be appreciated and thank you for reading.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

You need to discuss this with your doctor and get treatment.

[lehaley1989, ADN, RN]

You need to discuss this with your doctor and get treatment.

Agreed. As a nursing student, I think it's normal to be a little nervous before each shift. But anxiety this severe could begin to impact your patient care abilities and really needs to be addressed with a doctor.

[sharon nurse, MSN]

Hi there, very sorry to hear you are feeling this way. Nursing school is difficult enough without adding other stress to the package. You may be able to get some help to get through this. Please understand that you are not alone and there are many nursing students that experience severe anxiety. It sounds like you want to try and get through this and put an effort into helping yourself. Perhaps meeting with your PCP in confidence can be the solution? There is nothing shameful about taking medication to help control the anxiety. It may only be temporary for you and you always have a choice to stop taking them. But why not try it? It may put you in a much more comfortable place and get through school without putting yourself through all this agony. Honestly, I wish I would have done the same myself. I wish you the best and praying you will get through this. You will make a great nurse someday, just give yourself the chance.

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

I agree with above posters. In addition, perhaps you could work with a counselor or therapist to develop coping strategies that you can use in the moment to combat your anxiety in patient care settings. Some schools have dedicated self-care and mental health resources for students on-site (like therapists, counselors, and student health psychiatrists). If your school has a Student Health office, you could ask them for recommendations and referrals.