Nursing and anxiety

[vader1]

Hi, This is my first time ever posting on an online forum and would like to talk with anyone who is experiencing anxiety. I find that my anxiety is getting in the way of my work life and normal day to day tasks. I find I am in a constant state of anxiety. I have recently started in a newly graduated nurse in an ED department. I have worked in this kind of environment before, however I have found that my anxiety levels have increased greatly. I find its impacting on my practice. I find that I am vomiting before work and cant keep anything down. I have talked with my supervisors about my anxiety , as they noticed I appeared anxious. They talked about looking for ways to lessen my anxiety and ways to settle me into my new role as an ED Nurse. However they feel that my anxiety could impact on my skills in the future.... which i think they are concerned about. I have been considering asking for a different rotation, where I can take my time undertaking tasks and work with my anxiety. I just dont know what I should do as i spent a lot of my time at university focusing on emergency nursing. Has anyone had a similar experience.

[james1]

Hi vader1,

I'm sorry about the situation you're in and it sounds very stressful.

Sorry the most I can offer is support because, while I've had panic attacks and had to skip work/leave work/hide in a room, I work in an office environment which is quite different.

It is good that your supervisors are looking for ways to lessen your anxiety. Don't forget that you're new in this role, and you can afford to be kind to yourself. For five months, I was working full time while studying full time and tutoring high school students, so I was getting 3-4 hours of sleep every night and it got to a point when everything collapsed. My lesson was that, at 24 years, I didn't need to put so much pressure on myself to succeed. So give yourself time to adjust and if it means taking less responsibility, don't look down on yourself for it. Most people can't even get to where you are now, and that is an achievement in itself.

Have you sought any professional help as well?

Please feel free to reply here when you feel comfortable. We're keen to listen and/or help in any way we can.

James

[vader1]

Hi James thank you for your comment .. I have been continually working since my last post while managing my anxiety. I even relocated and tried something new in nursing,however I have found that things have began to get worse. I have been contemplating resigning from my current position and I am going to have some time off and try a new career path. Thanks for listening i really appreciate it.

[james1]

Hey vader1,

It's nice to hear you've been giving things a go and trying to find what is best for you. It sounds like it has been very difficult though and I think it's great that you are considering finding something else which might make it easier to manage your anxiety. Your health absolutely comes first.

If you'd like to talk more, this thread is always here for you!
James

[vader1]

Thanks James ,

I also sought some professional help last year as you suggested .. I did see someone for a short period of time but I have decided to speak to someone else again . I haven't resigned from my job yet but I am thinking about it. Thanks again for listening , I really appreciate it.

[james1]

Oh that's awesome to hear. It can be a bit tricky to find the right person sometimes, but once you do, it can be good to just always know you can see them again at a later stage, even for just a single session. I really am glad to hear you're taking your mental health seriously and giving yourself the care you need.

That's superb 🙂