School

Stressed to the max

Well folks I'm one week away from being done with my first semester of nursing school. One semester  down..five more to go.

When I received my acceptance letter into the nursing program, I was filled with joy. Soon after, terrified.  Some changes are scary. I received my letter at the end of April and would be starting classes in May. This gave me about 2 weeks to worry and stress about my future and the challenges it would inevitably bring till I officially would be a nursing student. Those were the longest two weeks.

Study, Study, Study

Before starting the program I've received some advice from nurses I worked with. (I'm adding to the list.) This is my advice for soon to be nursing students:

- Never forget that every other person in your class is just as scared as you are. If they always look confident, it is just an act. Don't let that stress you out.
- Be prepared to work HARD (clearly an understatement). You will have to do a lot of reading, and it will be confusing at times. Highlight/bookmark/ however you want to mark that might sound important (50% of my book is highlighted).
- Find a study group you get along with and stick with them throughout each semester. Meet with your group regularly and go over the things your not understanding. They will be a great support.  In the moments that you want to quit, they always will talk some sense into you every time.
- Be prepared to feel lost and frustrated. If your an emotional creature like me, be prepared to cry.
-Even though you are extremely busy, take one day off. This means do not do any school work whatsoever one day every week. Monday or thursday (depending) are my days since my hubby has work off. It's always nice looking forward to one of these days each week.
-Be prepared to laugh at yourself. If you fail to do this, you will be more stressed out than necessary. When you do something stupid, laugh. Don't be embarrassed, we all do dumb things. It is normal to completely forget how to do everything (even the most simple tasks) when you are nervous. So don't let this make you feel stupid or inferior. It's normal!
- Find an outlet for your frustrations. My outlet has been to work out. Even though I usually only workout a couple times a week, it makes me feel a lot better, my mind becomes more clear, and have more energy throughout the day. I don't think I could keep going all those hours if I didn't have some way to release some steam.

Depressing? Trust me, it's mostly exciting!