Wellness
Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, but it also comes with intense pressure. From long shifts to high-stakes decisions, anxiety is a common part of the job for many nurses. We asked Nurse Kelley Johnson, RN, MSN, to share her own experiences with anxiety and the strategies that helped her stay calm and confident throughout her career.
Why Nurses Experience Anxiety
Even the most experienced nurses encounter moments of self-doubt and worry. For many, anxiety comes from the combination of emotional responsibilities, unpredictable schedules, and constant pressure to perform at a high level.
Nurse Kelley shared that early in her career, learning new skills on patients was one of her biggest sources of anxiety:
“I was always the most anxious attempting a new skill on a patient. There is an extremely large learning curve in nursing, and there is no way you can practice each hands-on skill enough in nursing school to feel totally comfortable doing all of them on patients on your own. The best way to learn is definitely to do them and to try, but I remember feeling nervous until I had done it repeatedly.”
That honesty reflects a truth many nurses feel: anxiety isn’t about weakness — it’s about navigating constant challenges in a high-pressure environment.
How Anxiety Impacts Your Health and Confidence
As nurses, you carry so much — the weight of long shifts, constant decision-making, and the emotional load of patient care. It’s no surprise that anxiety can creep in. And when it does, it doesn’t just stay in your head — it affects your whole self.
- Mentally: Anxiety can show up as racing thoughts during handoff, second-guessing your charting, or feeling irritable with coworkers even when you don’t mean to.
- Physically: The stress adds up. Maybe it’s the tension headache halfway through a double, the fatigue that no amount of coffee fixes, or nights where you can’t fully shut off to rest.
- Professionally: Anxiety can make you hesitate before advocating for a patient, lose focus during a procedure, or start to feel the first signs of burnout.
When left unchecked, these effects can chip away at your confidence as a nurse — making you question skills you already have. The good news? Anxiety isn’t permanent or defining. With small, practical strategies and supportive routines, nurses can calm the noise, protect their energy, and step back into their role with authority and self-assurance.
5 Strategies to Stay Calm and Confident
#1 Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation
Mindfulness doesn’t have to mean meditation mats or hour-long sessions. Even short moments of intentional breathing, stretching, or stepping away for a reset can ease the pressure.
Kelley emphasized how critical it was to make time for breaks, even during demanding shifts:
“I think we have to force ourselves to take breaks. That helped me a lot, even if I just hid away in the bathroom for a few minutes.”
She also relied on nursing apps on her phone as trusted resources, which helped calm anxiety by reinforcing her decision-making with reliable information.
#2 Build a Support Network
Strong peer support can reduce anxiety by reminding you that you’re not alone. Mentors, coworkers, or support groups provide both encouragement and practical advice. Nurses often say just being able to talk through a stressful situation helps them reset.
#3 Improve Time Management
Anxiety often spikes when tasks pile up. Breaking work into manageable steps can restore calm and focus. Tips include:
- Chart as you go instead of saving everything for the end of shift.
- Set small goals for each hour to stay on track.
- Allow buffer time to manage emergencies without feeling behind.
“Positive self-talk helped me remain calm and trust myself more in stressful situations.” — Kelley Johnson, RN, MSN
#4 Use Positive Affirmations
Affirmations are powerful in building resilience, especially for nurses who wrestle with self-doubt. Kelley admits that even ten years into her career, imposter syndrome still crept in:
“I think I suffer from imposter syndrome even ten years in. I don't think I will ever feel like a complete expert, but I think positive self-talk helped me remain calm, use my knowledge for good decision making, and to trust myself more in stressful situations.”
Incorporating affirmations into your daily routine can help you approach challenges with greater confidence. For inspiration, check out our guide on daily affirmations for nurses.
#5 Stay Physically Active
Exercise is proven to lower stress and boost mood. For nurses, this doesn’t have to mean a full gym session — walking outside after a shift, stretching between patients, or scheduling consistent workouts can provide an outlet for tension. Physical movement also builds stamina, which makes stressful shifts easier to manage.
Confidence Is Your Superpower
Anxiety may be a part of nursing, but it doesn’t have to define your experience. Building confidence is one of the most effective ways to counter self-doubt and stay grounded during long, stressful shifts.
Confidence doesn’t mean knowing everything — as Kelley shared, even seasoned nurses can feel like imposters at times. Instead, it means trusting your knowledge, leaning on your training, and giving yourself grace as you continue to grow.
Here are a few ways to strengthen that confidence day to day:
- Celebrate small wins: finishing charting on time, getting positive feedback from a patient, or learning a new skill is worth recognizing.
- Keep learning: continuing education, skill refreshers, or simply asking questions can replace anxiety with knowledge.
- Practice mindfulness and positive self-talk: even a few minutes of mindful breathing, or reminding yourself you are capable and prepared, can shift your mindset in stressful moments.
As Kelley reminds us, positive self-talk isn’t about being perfect, but about staying calm and trusting yourself even in high-pressure situations.