Christy Bella
Table of Contents
Going to nursing school can be a stressful experience for students, but the reward, in the end, is very worth it. Nursing is one of the most meaningful career paths in the world with a ton of benefits, but the process of getting your nursing degree and studying to work in this hugely important career can be a source of anxiety. Student nurses have a lot on their plate from maintaining their grades to completing clinical experience placements and generally learning and taking in information that could be the difference between life and death for somebody in the future. Along with this, more and more student nurses are now juggling nursing school with work, raising a family and other commitments. Here’s how to do it while keeping your stress levels to a minimum.
Common Nursing School Stressors
In order to be successful at nursing school, there are several stressors and stresses that you’re going to need to figure out how to manage. There can be various different sources of stress for those in this situation. Some students are stressed over maintaining their grades since a certain GPA is usually necessary to be maintained in order for the student to remain in the Education System. Being required to study for your classes for four hours a day or more can also be a source of stress if you have a busy life with several commitments, and clinical experience placements can also be a source of stress for student nurses who are getting hands-on experience for the first time and under pressure to get it right.
The Impact on Your Health and Wellbeing
Being stressed out when you are attending nursing school can have several different consequences for your skin health. Being unable to manage your stress levels while studying is also likely to impact your grades which, in turn, can lead to even more stress as you try to work harder and risk burnout to bring them up higher. Prolonged stress that isn’t kept under control can even lead to a range of health issues, including poor sleep, headaches, stomach problems, and aches and pains that can impact your ability to focus and learn, once again making it harder for you to perform well in assignments and maintain your grades.
Choosing the Right Nursing Degree Program
If you want to get a nursing degree but are concerned about the amount of stress that you might be under as a result, the good news is that there are several programs to consider where you have a higher degree of control and as a result are less likely to be as stressed. Online nursing degree options such as those available from Marymount University might be less stressful compared to a traditional BSN on-campus for many students since some online degree programs allow you full control over the classroom aspect of your program.
Instead of having to fit your life around specific times to attend classes, you get to choose when is going to work best for you, which can significantly reduce stress and anxiety while studying. In addition, choosing an online nursing degree program can also help to reduce stress by minimizing the amount of money that you spend. Since they allow students more freedom to work and earn money while studying, they can reduce the amount of student debt that you get into to become a nurse and eliminate the need to worry about various associated costs of getting your degree like commuting to campus.
Stress Management Techniques for Nursing School Students
Once you have chosen the right nursing degree program for you, there are several further things that you can do to help yourself with managing your stress levels as a nursing school student. Using a range of tried-and-tested stress management techniques in your everyday life will help you stay in control and prevent the stresses of nursing school from getting to you too badly.
Take Time for Yourself
This one is especially important if you’re working or looking after a family while studying to become a nurse. Working constantly and studying in your spare time while never taking a break to do something that you enjoy or simply relax can quickly lead to feelings of exhaustion and burnout, which will exacerbate your stress even further. Make sure that you schedule some time on a regular basis to take a break and do something just for you.
Regular Exercise
Physical activity is one of the biggest natural stress busters. While you are getting a nursing degree, chances are that you will be learning about all the benefits of exercise for the human body and mind, so it’s time to put them into practice in your own life. Not only does getting regular exercise help to keep your body healthy and keep you in shape, but it will also help to improve your mood and make you feel much calmer and more in control when in a stressful situation. And the good news is that you do not have to exercise for a huge amount of time to feel the benefits – just twenty minutes per day will suffice.
Sleep Well
A lack of sleep is often one of the main concerns among students who are suffering from high levels of stress and anxiety. When you’re not getting enough sleep, your body and mind will suffer, and this can have an impact on your nursing studies, including making it harder for you to focus when studying, which could affect your grades. While it can be tempting to stay up at night to attempt to get everything done ahead of the next day, depriving yourself of sleep to study is not going to end well. Studies have found that to function correctly, people need 7-9 hours of sleep every night, so make sure that this becomes a priority for you throughout nursing school.
Attending nursing school can be stressful in many different ways, but the good news is that there are useful stress management techniques you can use to make it easier on yourself. Please leave your comment below if the blog is useful and follow up with Blogrovr.
