To be f*cking terrified 😢

[Aortagggghhhh]

Posting as I’m sitting here terrified and would really appreciate if anyone has been in a similar situation. I’m a student and we have practicals, skill based-labs with real people and placements.

We have recently started seeing real people and I’m not doing well at all. I have been getting close to 100% in my exams and if anyone asked me any clinical based questions I would be able to answer them correctly, but when it comes to actually being with a patient I just fall to pieces and can’t do it. I’m absolutely rubbish at it and it’s so humiliating and I feel completely utterly useless.

I start off ok but then the panic starts and I feel my chest go in knots and I get a lump in my throat and cant talk. My mind goes blank and I feel myself sweating and panicking, then the tears start. Im so useless at my own degree and I just can’t do it. I can make small talk usually and my parents have always said I can talk the hind legs off a donkey but I just can’t do it when it’s in this setting😢

I’m being supervised at all times by my mentor/supervisor who would step in if I made any clinical mistakes so I’m not worried about getting it wrong, and I’m not expected to diagnose or treat or do anything at this stage, it’s just purely to get us familiar with seeing and interacting with patients. But I can’t even do that right. We carry out some basic tests but everything is checked by our mentor.

Im terrified of doing this class again. How do I toughen up and get better at this?😢💔

My job is very different but I have to stand up in front of crowds and present.. I feel anxious for weeks leading up to it and when the time comes I feel like my heart will explode out of my chest.. I really feel for you OP because know how your body reacts to these situations just makes you more nervous. It's a horrible cycle. Speak with your mentor

I will be following for tips .. your not alone xxx

OP, firstly, it is completely normal to feel anxious when you are doing something new and different, and lots of people in your class will feel similar, so acknowledge your anxiety but also acknowledge that it is not unusual, and also, it is there because you care very deeply about it and you want to do a good job. One of the things that used to help me was to basically become an actor. Think ‘what would the expert do or say in this situation?’ and then act like the expert. I’ve used this technique successfully in job interviews too. The third thing that helps me is that I know that it will be over in x hours, and then my brain can have a break. One of the things you can do now though is to prepare - write down the reasons you might be anxious and then write down some ways to overcome as many of those reasons as you can. Also, remember that this is about learning. Nobody is expecting you to be perfect, this is practice to help you get better.

@HeArInGhandsgirl11

My job is very different but I have to stand up in front of crowds and present.. I feel anxious for weeks leading up to it and when the time comes I feel like my heart will explode out of my chest.. I really feel for you OP because know how your body reacts to these situations just makes you more nervous. It's a horrible cycle. Speak with your mentor

I will be following for tips .. your not alone xxx

You're

My young adult daughter recently starting taking an SSRI for depression and she has found it has really helped. Her mood has stabilized and her anxiety has gone right down. She just hadn't realized how anxious she was and had been for a long time (years). She especially says it has helped her interacting. She is much more relaxed, not self-conscious and not with this feeling that she was being judged by everyone around her. She is also someone who is academically successful and is studying a medical subject.

I had cancer (fully recovered) and then we had COVID so I think she had become very understandably stressed but was holding it all in and hadn't been able to process it.

If you spent the last couple of years trying to study during COVID that may have contributed to your anxiety as you had less chance to interact with anyone obviously.

Many, many people have been affected by the last couple of years. Anxiety and depression has shot up in teens and young adults so don't forget the very unusual circumstances. You may want to talk to a Dr about your anxiety and possibly try medication. In just 2-3 months is has really helped my daughter tremendously. She is much happier and socializing a lot more generally.

Please don't give up on yourself but talk to people and get some practical help. What you are experiencing is not uncommon. Things can get much better.

Imposter syndrome? As in feeling like you don’t belong there/you’re not skilled enough yet, even when you’ve done everything right to get there. It’s really common in perfectionists

I find an evidence log really helpful. It’s so easy to ignore the 90% you’ve done well and focus on the 10% where you’ve felt uncomfortable. Write down every day what’s happened, why it was positive, what you might say to someone else who experienced it and what you would do next time.
This could be compliments, feedback, interactions, different tasks etc - the point is you are left with a stack of evidence that you can’t ignore or dismiss (where normally you would forget it straight off the bat and replay the screw ups)

Is it possibly because you've got the mentor watching over you that's making you so nervous?
Do you think you would be just as nervous if you were dealing with a patient without being supervised?

You need hypnosis to overcome lack of confidence in social setting with patients.

Practice practice practice. Look up scenarios and practice what you would say in that particular instance and what you need to convey to the patient for every scenario you may encounter. Do it with others training with you and see what other people do that can help inform you on what approach to take. Borrow some things and leave things that don't work. If you feel more prepared you can fake it better until it becomes second nature. Good luck.