How to survive gym workouts with social anxiety?

Maria Price3 said:She was just asking for tips on how to survive her clinical rotations, yet everyone here decided to pivot into interrogating her life choices instead 🤦. I’m curious—how many of you actually stick to what fits your personality and skill set (and, honestly, what’s best for your clients or users)?

Silence, we can't exactly tell you exactly how much Normbal you need to take, or if you should be taking it at all. We don't know you. Your priority right now is finishing your degree. To finish your degree, you have to pass the year. To pass the year, you have to get through these rotations. You'll just have to figure out your own balance.

As for the social anxiety, maybe try tackling that alongside your studies; it’s pretty common knowledge that exposure therapy is what builds up your resilience.

People are everywhere. There’s no avoiding them, regardless of whatever career path you end up taking.

It’s honestly kind of ridiculous to me that people are lecturing you about your schooling based on an anxiety issue. Sure, that level of panic is maddening, but please remember that nobody’s opinion really matters—except maybe a professor’s, since you need them to give you a passing grade. And, hey, there's always the small chance a brick might fall on your head during the next earthquake. Those are basically your only two actual concerns during these sessions. Just get through it, and once you're out in the workforce, you won't give a damn about 90% of the nonsense you're dealing with right now.

It’s absolutely ridiculous when someone tries to act shocked on behalf of another person while clearly having no clue what’s actually going on. That describes you perfectly in this instance; you didn't even bother to read her full post, otherwise, you would have realized it isn't just about social phobia. Or do you honestly think people in America are being hospitalized for months on end just because of social anxiety?!? How yes no🤦🤦

It's highly debatable what kind of career someone like her could handle, though perhaps she'd be better suited for something like speech therapy, teaching English or German, or doing some freelance translation work.

loneskipper10 said:If you've got the brains for it, an IT career is a solid move—freelancing lets you dodge most of those draining social interactions. You can just code, and if you're struggling to focus, finding the right antipsychotics can help organize your thoughts and dial down the anxiety, assuming you don't run into too many side effects. There are also options for ADHD.

The catch with antipsychotics is the risk of tardive dyskinesia after long-term use; we're talking uncontrollable limb movements that make it impossible to stand steady. Sometimes it stops when you quit the meds, but sometimes it's a lifelong struggle. Here’s a patient dealing with tardive dyskinesia: https://www.primehealthchannel.com/w...skinesia-2.jpg
US pharmaceutical companies developed a specific drug for tardive dyskinesia, but it’ll set you back $7,362 for a 28-capsule supply at 40-80mg.
While the brain volume loss caused by antipsychotics is relatively easy to address, the movement issues mentioned above? Not so much.

Lately, students have been leaning heavily on Modafinil to study, though it can definitely wreck your sleep schedule.

Oh, wonderful! So they invented a cure for the side effect of the first drug, but when are they going to address the consequences of the second one?🤦

darksurfer4 said:It’s absolutely ridiculous when someone tries to act shocked on behalf of another person while clearly having no clue what’s actually going on. That describes you perfectly in this instance; you didn't even bother to read her full post, otherwise, you would have realized it isn't just about social phobia. Or do you honestly think people in America are being hospitalized for months on end just because of social anxiety?!? How yes no🤦🤦

It's highly debatable what kind of career someone like her could handle, though perhaps she'd be better suited for something like speech therapy, teaching English or German, or doing some freelance translation work.

Who are you to tell me what I understand and what I don't? You have no idea what I've been through, where I've been, where I am now, or the path I've walked—and the one I still have ahead of me. You're being terrible.

What do you know about who she is or what she can or can't do? What do you think would be better for her?? You're being absolute Evil.

Maria Price3 said:Who are you to tell me what I understand and what I don't? You have no idea what I've been through, where I've been, where I am now, or the path I've walked—and the one I still have ahead of me. You're being terrible.

What do you know about who she is or what she can or can't do? What do you think would be better for her?? You're being absolute Evil.

I spent a solid minute just trying to figure out who "Evil" was supposed to be and what kind of reference that was...
Go screw yourself. 🤣

briskbison47 said:I spent a solid minute just trying to figure out who "Evil" was supposed to be and what kind of reference that was...
Go screw yourself. 🤣

🙂 Look, you can't have too much Evil.

🙂🙂

Maria Price3 said:Who are you to tell me what I understand and what I don't? You have no idea what I've been through, where I've been, where I am now, or the path I've walked—and the one I still have ahead of me. You're being terrible.

What do you know about who she is or what she can or can't do? What do you think would be better for her?? You're being absolute Evil.

And you, briskbison47, you're just cut from the same cloth...🙂..

Maria Price3 said:🙂 Look, you can't have too much Evil.

🙂🙂

And you’re just as full of yourself and self-righteous as that little friend of yours.😁

Social phobia, when it's coupled with a whole laundry list of other disorders, is actually best treated by throwing someone straight into a high-stress job surrounded by crowds of people where some might even be dying or suffering in agony. Honestly, I don't know what I would do on this forum if it weren't for you acting so incredibly brilliant, and your equally "enlightened" friend too.🙂

darksurfer4 said:And you’re just as full of yourself and self-righteous as that little friend of yours.😁

Social phobia, when it's coupled with a whole laundry list of other disorders, is actually best treated by throwing someone straight into a high-stress job surrounded by crowds of people where some might even be dying or suffering in agony. Honestly, I don't know what I would do on this forum if it weren't for you acting so incredibly brilliant, and your equally "enlightened" friend too.🙂

And so lovely and charming, too...🙂

Just so we don't drift too far off-topic.
There are actual clinical methods for treating social phobia—really, there are. But sure, why bother? It's probably better to just lock all the socially anxious people in a basement somewhere so they can go about their business in peace. No, definitely not that.

I'm speaking from the perspective of someone living with bipolar disorder, emotional instability, and social phobia. Someone who works directly with people. Someone for whom life can be quite a struggle. I have this ability—or maybe it's a curse—to feel exactly what others are feeling, even their physical pain. Because of that, I actually know how to make someone's day a little easier, or at least a bit brighter. It's why my clients, my coworkers, and even my managers tend to value and appreciate me. And all that time I spent stressing out during my education, wondering if I was even capable of doing this kind of work? It was all pretty much a waste of energy.

If this is just some projection of mine—which, let's be honest, it inevitably is—and if I've completely missed the point of the thread, then just ignore me.

Edit. When I head into work, my bipolar tendencies, my emotional swings, and my social anxiety stay right at home.

She already knows deep down that this isn't her calling; honestly, I think FF works better for her than any actual medical training ever could. If she’s already tackling English, she might as well dive into German or maybe even Swedish while she's at it.

The poor girl is having a nightmare just trying to make or take a simple phone call lately. Between her sisters constantly being glued to their phones and doctors being perpetually tied up on the line—especially with everything going on during this whole pandemic era—it's a miracle anyone gets through at all.

Yesterday felt manageable, a decent introduction to nursing, but today was an absolute train wreck. I spiraled into a panic attack and nearly broke down in tears watching my classmates breeze through everything while I just stood there, paralyzed. I wanted to draw blood or insert a catheter, but I couldn't even bring myself to try. It was pathetic. One of the nurses actually asked me why I even bothered enrolling in the program. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. My dad won't let me switch majors, either. I'm definitely in the middle of a depressive episode—I've spent the entire day in bed, neglected my hygiene, and have zero energy for anything. I feel like I need to head back to the psychiatric clinic because I don't see anyone else who can help.

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Do you actually want this career down the road? Looking at things from the outside, today clearly wasn't your best day. We’ve all been there—getting blood drawn only to have experienced nurses leave you with massive bruises.
Does the idea of doing this professionally one day actually excite you, or are you just going through the motions because your parents wanted you to? Maybe you won't have to grind through all this training later on.
If it was that obvious during your clinical rotations that people were questioning why you even enrolled... well, I don't know. Either it’s glaringly apparent that this isn't your calling, or maybe you're just blowing your current struggles out of proportion.
And please, don't run to a psych ward—what's the point? To just postpone your issues? You'll sit there for a bit, feeling comforted by everyone patting you on the shoulder while your problems continue to snowball in the real world. They'll be waiting for you, even bigger than before, once you step back out.

There's always the option of taking a gap year, right? For an internal reset. Though, honestly, I think you need to come to terms with what you actually want first.
Panic attacks are terrifying, but they're so common nowadays that it's almost become a standard part of the experience. I doubt you're the only one struggling. No college program is easy—there's panic, there's nausea, there's all sorts of stuff. Any student who actually made it through (even without any mental health struggles) would tell you the same thing. Then you have those ones who act like they know nothing or didn't study a thing... whatever.
Are you even prepping at home for your labs? What are you guys doing tomorrow? You should be preparing both mentally and academically—check the textbooks, or honestly, there's probably a YouTube tutorial on how to draw blood if you just look for one. I mean, I guess. You're a student, you lack experience, so it's fine that you don't know everything yet. All you can really do is prepare for the next lab session.

darksurfer4 said:She already knows deep down that this isn't her calling; honestly, I think FF works better for her than any actual medical training ever could. If she’s already tackling English, she might as well dive into German or maybe even Swedish while she's at it.

The poor girl is having a nightmare just trying to make or take a simple phone call lately. Between her sisters constantly being glued to their phones and doctors being perpetually tied up on the line—especially with everything going on during this whole pandemic era—it's a miracle anyone gets through at all.

If she has the cash, the time, and the actual drive to switch majors—assuming that's what she really wants—then I say go for it.👍

cosmiclynx79, I actually know someone who went through a similar mental health crisis; he ended up taking all five of his medical leave options, took a much-needed year off to reset, and honestly, things finally stabilized after that.
If I’m reading you correctly, it sounds like the core issue isn't just school—it seems like you're dealing with some much heavier struggles, including self-harm and suicidal ideation...
In my view, those are the hurdles you really need to address first, because they clearly outweigh whatever social anxiety you're facing with your classes.

If staying on your current track feels impossible, you might consider pivoting toward something like diagnostics or radiology. You could stay within the same university, and they’d likely let you transfer some credits, which would mean less direct contact with patients and fewer of those high-stress situations that trigger your panic attacks and anxiety.

Easy to talk about that "doll in a shop window" feeling when you aren't the one doing it. Honestly, don't go into serving if you don't absolutely have to. It’s physically exhausting, sure, but the mental toll is even worse. You're constantly sprinting from point A to point B, trying to memorize every single face and order, pushing yourself to be fast—not to mention dealing with all the ridiculous, entitled customers who think the world revolves around them. And you have to do all of this while wearing a fake smile. Once the rush dies down, you're stuck cleaning the bar, the floors, the bathrooms... then comes the dreaded closing out. Counting every bottle and every cent. And it rarely adds up. Rarely. Then there's the literal heavy lifting—moving crates and rearranging patio furniture. To top it all off, you have to deal with a manager whose condescending attitude is just the icing on the cake; you basically have to laugh off their disrespect, and by the end of the shift, you're almost at the point where you want to crack a joke just to cope. There are exceptions, I suppose, but working in a place that isn't yours... it's easy to end up drinking too much just to numb it all.
Seriously people, just finish your degree.

Edit: someone deleted my post because I went on a whole rant 🙂)

cosmiclynx79, have you reached out to your psychiatrist lately? If not, I’d say now might actually be a good time—just be honest with her about what’s really weighing on you and pinpoint exactly what's causing the most friction right now.

Psychiatrists won't see me until the 25th, but I’m going to call again and demand an earlier slot. It's urgent.

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cosmiclynx79 said:Psychiatrists won't see me until the 25th, but I’m going to call again and demand an earlier slot. It's urgent.

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Yeah. Urgent, urgent! That's the magic word. If they won't budge, I guess you just head over there and camp out on the sidewalk if you have to.
And honestly, it really does sound urgent. Good luck!

If I head to the ER, am I looking at an overnight stay?

cosmiclynx79 said:If I head to the ER, am I looking at an overnight stay?

They will if you tell them you’re having suicidal thoughts. What's going on?
Feel free to vent here; might be easier to just let it all out. Tell us what's weighing on you...

I’m clearly questioning why I ever signed up for this nursing program. I love the idea of nursing—the actual profession—and the spark came from being hospitalized three times myself. I had no clue what I was actually signing up for. My grades reflect my effort; I study hard, but the clinical application is a disaster. My only "experience" involves practicing on mannequins because the pandemic wiped out my clinical rotations last year. I know how to draw blood and perform basic procedures, but I freeze up whenever someone watches me, especially when I'm being supervised by seasoned students who make it look easy. I want to step up and take initiative with things like feeding tubes, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I made it to my second year with solid marks, but now I'm staring at the exit. I'll have to quit, find some random job, and pivot to a different major—probably English. The thought of heading into clinicals is a literal nightmare. I spend all day sleeping to escape. I've lost weight, and I'm struggling with self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

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