Stressed/anxiety

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Hi,

I hope this is the right place to post and need opinions/suggestion.

I am in first year BSN program. I don’t know how I survived first semester with pandemic and online learning. I think last semester’s stress triggered something in me negatively. I cannot focus at all. My head just feels out of place.

It has heen 3 weeks since starting Winter semester. I have a lot of things due in 2 weeks. Whenever I think of it, I am so stressed out, I can just feel my heart racing, no appetite. I just want to lay in bed. I don’t know how much I have in my tank.

I am thinking of talking to my academic advisor to see if I am able to take a leave of absence till fall 2021.

Do you guys have any tips on stress management? Or any suggestions what I should do?

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Improved time management will greatly reduce your stress. You say you have a lot of things due soon and it stresses you out when you think about it. Have you sat down and written it all out in your planner? Have you made dedicated time slots to work on each class and its assignments? I am in a 1 year accelerated BSN program and it's a lot, but it hasn't overtaken me mentally because I sit down every day and prioritize my courses. When it comes to free time I usually do it in the evening. I start my day by working on assignments and studying, and I end my day by relaxing and watching TV and spending time with my family. The anxiety part is something I can really relate to as well. I'm not anxious about school, but I do have general anxiety that creeps in sometimes. Listening to the Calm app and doing mindfulness exercises really help. You can do it! 

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6 hours ago, livimo said:

Improved time management will greatly reduce your stress. You say you have a lot of things due soon and it stresses you out when you think about it. Have you sat down and written it all out in your planner? Have you made dedicated time slots to work on each class and its assignments? I am in a 1 year accelerated BSN program and it's a lot, but it hasn't overtaken me mentally because I sit down every day and prioritize my courses. When it comes to free time I usually do it in the evening. I start my day by working on assignments and studying, and I end my day by relaxing and watching TV and spending time with my family. The anxiety part is something I can really relate to as well. I'm not anxious about school, but I do have general anxiety that creeps in sometimes. Listening to the Calm app and doing mindfulness exercises really help. You can do it! 

Thank you.

Yes, I have time slot for each course but I can never stay on track. If I don’t finish something I just keep doing it until it is finished even if I put lets say 2 hours for a course. I will just go over 2 hours. So that is a problem ?

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Time management is critical to nursing school as I heard from other individuals.

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Specializes in Nursing Student.

I'm sorry you're going through this!  I definitely relate.  I do think it would be helpful to reach out to your advisor.  Also, I know it is hard to connect with other students when the program is online, but you're definitely not alone in the way you feel.  Maybe you could try to get a study buddy?  Does your cohort have an online forum where you all chat and share tips/resources? 

My cohort makes collective study guides and it has been extremely helpful for me.  We basically put together the list of objectives for each class in a Google doc and then every fills them out together prior to exams.  Most of our exams are open note, so these study guides are extremely useful.

Finally, take a break if you need to!  There is no shame in self care.  Nursing school will still be hard when the pandemic's over but at least you'll have more connection to your classmates and (hopefully) less overall stress.

Good luck!

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Does your school have a learning skills tutor? They may be able to help you figure out why you are having difficulty studying. 

It also might not hurt to talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. They may also be able to help you! 

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