Anyone here have panic attacks/ anxiety issues?

[BigSky01]

Hi everyone I'm new to this and I just want to know if there are any emts here that are dealing with anxiety. I've been coping with it since my 18th birthday which was almost a year ago and the first couple months were complete hell for me. I was a mess. As of now I have most of it controlled but I still deal with some physical symptoms . I have 3 weeks left of my emt-I then I take the nr and practicals and next weekend I'm doing my 10 pt contact. I've always wanted to get into this field and I don't want anxiety to ruin it for me.

 

[BigSky01]

Hi everyone I'm new to this and I just want to know if there are any emts here that are dealing with anxiety. I've been coping with it since my 18th birthday which was almost a year ago and the first couple months were complete hell for me. I was a mess. As of now I have most of it controlled but I still deal with some physical symptoms . I have 3 weeks left of my emt-I then I take the nr and practicals and next weekend I'm doing my 10 pt contact. I've always wanted to get into this field and I don't want this anxiety to ruin it for me. But sometimes I get discouraged because of it.

 

[xrsm002]

I deal with it everyday. I find exercising helps me. PM me for more info if you want.

 

[teedubbyaw]

I hope it's testing that triggers it and not patient contacts.

 

[STXmedic]

No, anxiety is not a deal-breaker. I know many providers who deal with anxiety. Just do your best to get it in control; not just for your job, but for your self, too. Use your ride-out time to get a feel for runs and make sure you aren't going to be having panic attacks on runs- obviously that would not be good. But as long as you can get your anxiety under control, you should be fine.

 

[UnkiEMT]

I have mild anxiety issues, fortunately nothing that triggers on stuff I (usually) encounter on the job. I also have it pretty well under control, in the last 10 years I've only gotten close to having a panic attack once.

Largely I'd say it depends on your triggers, but as long as it isn't "sick people", you should be fine.

Also, there's no shame in using pharmaceuticals, if you need them. I'd say that as long as they're prescribed to you, no service you'd want to work for would turn you down because you're on them. (However I wouldn't suggest starting them while you're working, you want to know exactly how you react to them before you're on a call...).

Finally, if you do wind up needing the pharmaceutical route, I would suggest being completely up front about it to the interviewer(s), but be subtle about it on the truck and in quarters...while there is no shame in it, there's a lot of machismo in this field and while an EMT may counsel a pt that they need to take their psychoactives, that same EMT will turn around and see a co-worker using them as weakness. Don't lie about it, but don't advertise it.

 

[mycrofft]

Clinical rotations with instructor observation used to make me crazy, and being observed by observers (versus teaching a class to students) gives me the creeps.

Talk to the folks you work with or are riding with. They'll help, or they aren't worth being around.

 

[ffemt8978]

Duplicate threads merged.

 

[Aidey]

You should check out The Code Green Campaign. It is all about first responders with mental health issues.

 

[Mainspring]

I have anxiety but I deal.

healthy diet, good sleep, and exercise have been key to keeping it in check for me.

friend recommended meditation but it didn't take.

 

[Handsome Robb]

I've never been diagnosed with anxiety itself but I deal with it secondary to other mental stuff I've got going on. The only time I notice it is when I'm not working. At work I've got a job to do and I focus on that.

 

[mycrofft]

I've never been diagnosed with anxiety itself but I deal with it secondary to other mental stuff I've got going on. The only time I notice it is when I'm not working. At work I've got a job to do and I focus on that.

In fact, I teach that specifically. You're too busy doing it right to screw up, the shakes come later (or before).