Welcome to nursing school - let the stress begin!
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I think many of us have shared many of the same emotions during our first few weeks of nursing school: happiness, excitement, exhaustion, anxiety, and STRESS! This is going to be our life for the next three years, and to think this is just the beginning. We will think there are times when we can't do it, but just remember that we CAN and we WILL! :)
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STRESS What exactly is it you ask!? Well if you were to ask a nursing student four weeks into the program they would probably describe is along the lines of: endless reading assignments, workbook activities for your reading assignments, quizzes, tests, more quizzes and tests, clinicals, videos, making time for skills lab, making time to meet with your mentor, trying to find time to study, eat, sleep and somehow trying to maintain relationships with our families and friends. This is just touching on the basics of first semester. For most of us this is overwhelming and we are still, four weeks in, trying to figure our how to prioritize and get all of our assignments done so we can be sure to maintain a 75% average to ensure we move onto our next semester. While we are trying to figure out how we are going to survive, we all know we are in school because we have been called to be the hands and feet of God and serve for him in the medical field. According to Medical news today stress is when we feel that everything seems to have become too much, and we are overloaded and wondering if we can cope with the pressures that are placed upon us. I think that all of us felt overloaded during our first week of classes.
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HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS and SURVIVE nursing school!!! We all have different ways of coping with stress in order to be successful. Below I am going to list a few of my recommendations that I am implementing into my lifestyle, so that I make it through the semester.
- Get organized: I have always considered myself a rather organized person but the last four weeks I have had to change my organizing up a bit. I recommend printing out the master calendar for all of our courses and writing all of the dates out on a big wall calendar. This way you know what is due for the week and it is always on your wall to be a constant reminder. Also, I have a white board that I write all of the important due dates on in big red dates, that way I do not miss any dates and I give myself plenty of time to get the assignments done. In addition to a wall calendar and whiteboard I also carry my personal size planner with me everyday. That way any important announcements or reminders that are made in class I can be sure to write down on a calendar that is with me everyday. Organizing dates and assignments is key to being successful in courses.
- Prioritize: In addition to getting organized, its also important to prioritize the assignments and readings. Many of us have jobs so we try to balance both school, studying, and work so it is important to make sure we get the important assignments done and out of the way before we leave to work for the night or decide to make plans and go out. On the days we are not on campus for class I break the reading sections up to read on certain days. Then I be sure to get any online assignments completed, and then go on to read assigned chapters. Prioritizing and organizing go hand in hand to help with course success.
- Take care of your body: I have found that taking care of my health and body is helping me cope with the stress piling up in nursing school. It may seem silly as a coping mechanism but it is helping in the long run. With our long hours of school and assignments it is making many students exhausted and run down. If you eat a balanced healthy diet, go to the gym or do physical activities a few days a week, and try to get as much sleep as possible. This is essential for helping keep your immune system boosted. We all know that if we get sick that will only bring us even further behind in school which in turn will add to more stress on our plates.
- Give yourself a break: It may seem impossible to take any breaks but it can help clear your head. Say you are spending all day studying, take a few short breaks throughout the day to just relax. Whether it be taking a short nap, going for a walk around the block, or watching one of your favorite television shows, escaping from our books temporarily can help lower the amount of stress and anxiety we are feeling. Also, looking into relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation will help lower the stress we feel during these rough times.
It may seem IMPOSSIBLE!!!! Just remember to keep POSITIVE! The end is closer than we think. These next three years will fly by, and the semesters will get harder but as long as we keep positive, keep our faith in our Heavenly Father who brought us here, we will surely make it to the end. We have made it this far to get into the program, we can now see the glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel! :) Stress may be inevitable in our careers as a student nurse and future nurse, but as long as we find our own ways to relieve it, we will survive!
(Image courtesy of: someecards.com)
(Image courtesy of: someecards.com)
(Image courtesy of: someecards.com)
