[flyabove]

I'm so anxious about wanting to finish up my degree, two semesters away from getting my BSN-RN and the program isn't going to hold my clinical time forever, The more time I take off, the longer I'm losing my skills and experience. My ptsd and anxiety is getting in the way of feeling confident enough to take care of patients again. I just long so badly to be able to get back and graduate Anyone in the healthcare or related field that may have some coping/relaxation techniques to get them through their work day successfully?

[kaliope]

well i am a social worker. i spoke to human resources today just wondering if i took some time off to address mental health issues if it was considered sick leave or personal time. now i am in a jam and she is insisting i take a leave of absence.

the thing is i function fine at work, i just go home and have a breakdown. i am really good at compartmentalization. if i ever feel overwhelmed with a client, i am able to say, "now is not the time" and stuff those feelings back in. then when there is free time, i can say now is the time and let those feelings free.

i have a couple of tips that work well for me to handle anxiety and panick. a way to stop panic attacks is to relax. it is physically impossible to panic and relax at the same time. you dont even have to really relax. just fool your brain into thinking you are relaxing. imagine as if you just did a meditation or had a massage and all your muscles have turned into limp noodles. just let them all go. this will stop the panic attack. you may have to do it a couple times over your first tries, but when i started doing this it ended the attacks and soon i never had a panic attack again,

i have this thing called an anxiety meter that i visualize in my head. it goes from 0 to 10, 10 being the worst anxiety ever. so when i am anxious, i see where the needle registers on the meter. then i do breathing exercises until i get it down to a four. which is manageable for me. sometimes i see a knob on the meter and i will manually turn down the meter to four so i can calm down faster. practicing this enough, all i have to do now when i am anxious is say dial down, and i can calm myself.

i hope this helps.

[Little Lulu]

I have been RN for 33 years. The confidence part of the job comes with time. It took me about a year after graduating to feel really confident in my work. That is true with many jobs. That first year was rough but I am glad I hung in there because I have really loved being a nurse. One of my main fears is that I would make a mistake that would seriously hurt or kill someone. Of course, that has never happened.

Kaliope has some good techniques for relaxation. Keep your goal of graduation and getting that diploma in the forefront of your mind. You have gotten this far so obviously you can do the work. You can PM me if you need some support.

[RisuNeko]

Im working toward becoming an occupational therapist but i havent even gotten in to the doctoral program yet so im no help.