Nursing Student Coach

They Don't Understand: Conquering the Challenges of Nursing School and Personal Relationships

Lauren Chapnick Season 1 Episode 15

Ever felt like no one in your life understands what nursing school is really like? You're not alone. I, Lauren Chapnick, your Nursing Student Coach, open up about my personal experiences navigating the world of nursing school and the unique challenges it presents for personal relationships. Realize that just like a rainbow, nursing school is a beautiful miracle, a personal transformation to becoming the nurse you were always meant to be.

In this candid conversation, I share insights on how to communicate your needs to loved ones who might not fully understand your academic demands. Glean from my personal stories and practical advice on maintaining meaningful relationships while staying committed to your nursing journey. Know that it's okay to ask for what you need, and it's perfectly fine if they don't fully understand the complexities of your journey. After all, just like climbing a rainbow, it's an experience uniquely yours. Tune in and find some solace in knowing that you're not alone in this vibrant, challenging, but ultimately rewarding journey.

Speaker 1:

Nursing school is a wild ride, but that doesn't mean you have to run and hide when the going gets tough. Don't leave your stress undiagnosed. You gotta call the nursing student coach. Real-life tips from a registered nurse, in school and out. She's seen the worst. Now, without further ado, yeah, here is your host. It's the nursing student coach.

Speaker 2:

Hello everybody and welcome back to Nursing Student Coach. My name is Lauren Chapnick and I am your host. I want to thank you guys for your support. This is a free podcast for any nursing student who wants to feel less alone, who wants some support in their nursing school experience. I am here to help make some of that stress and anxiety that comes with nursing school and help take it away. So I thank you for your support and listening and for liking the show, sharing it, rating and reviewing it so we can reach as many future nurses as possible and ultimately put more great nurses into the world, which is my whole mission in starting the show in the first place.

Speaker 2:

Today's episode was inspired from an email that I got from a student who was feeling a little bit overwhelmed Because their partner, who's not in nursing school, was having some trouble understanding really the demands of nursing school, and what this person said was that their partner does not understand the high stakes effort of nursing school. Now I know almost everybody listening can relate to that, because here's the truth Nobody, no matter how much they love you, understand you, support you, nobody knows, really knows what you are experiencing in nursing school, except for those who are going through it with you and those who have been through it before you. But really your nursing school friends, your cohort, the people who sit next to you, those are really your people who will really understand, and that's okay. And you can help the people in your lives to understand what you need from them. But you cannot expect them to understand exactly what you're going through Because they're not going through it for themselves. They can't fully understand it, and that's okay. All I can suggest is having an honest, heart-to-heart conversation With those people in your life who maybe you're feeling like they're not meeting your needs, your expectations, maybe they're not giving you the space that you need to study, maybe they're putting pressure on you to do things that you just can't do. Whatever it is, I'm not here to be a marriage counselor or anything like that, a relationship coach. I'm a nursing student coach, but nobody can understand what you're going through, except for you and the people who are going through it with you.

Speaker 2:

So if you're having this problem in your life, I think what you can do is sit down with this person or this group of people and say Listen, I am in nursing school, I want this so much, this is what I need from you. I need two hours every night of total silence. I need to be in my room Because nursing school is incredibly demanding. I'm held to a higher standard than other majors. I have a higher minimum to hit on my exams to pass. This is what I need from you. Can you do that for me and what can I do for you to help make this happen, for example? Maybe that's not what you need, maybe you need something else, but I think if you are straightforward with why you're doing this, you say I want to be a nurse and I want to do well in this program. I want to thrive in this program. This is what I need from you. That's going to be a lot more productive than Having a breakdown and saying you don't understand me, you don't understand how hard it is. No, they're not going to understand, and that is okay.

Speaker 2:

It reminds me of this analogy that I have about nursing school, and I think of nursing school like climbing a rainbow, and that may sound a little Woo-woo a little. What are you talking about? Let me explain. Climbing a rainbow is like nothing You've ever done before. Maybe the different colors of the rainbow are your different classes and it feels weird, it feels sticky, it feels hot and you're you're climbing up and over and, before you know it, you're sliding down into that pot of golds. That's you know, passing your NCLEX and becoming a licensed registered nurse. But the experience is something Completely unique that only you and those climbing the rainbow around you can understand.

Speaker 2:

But Take a step back and look at this. What is a rainbow? It's a beautiful miracle and that's what nursing school is. So it can feel very, very overwhelming, very uncomfortable, most of the time actually. But if you take a step back and you look at what you're doing for just a minute and you appreciate the person that you are becoming, look at that rainbow it's gorgeous, it's beautiful and what you are doing is gorgeous and beautiful. Who you are becoming is incredible. You are becoming who you were always meant to be. Climbing this rainbow is a Difficult, the most difficult thing Maybe you've ever done or will do. But look at this it's a beautiful miracle and that is exactly what nursing school is.

Speaker 2:

And here's another thing about climbing the rainbow this analogy that I have this kind of cuckoo for cocoa puffs analogy is is that Nobody can really relate to it, and I'll say my husband, who is an incredible partner, incredibly supportive, my biggest cheerleader. When I first told him I think I think nursing school is like climbing a rainbow, he just gave me this look like, what are you talking about? Why not just say it's like climbing a mountain. I Can relate to climbing a mountain, I can't relate to climbing a rainbow. And that was such an aha moment because I said yes, that's it. That's exactly why nursing school is like climbing a rainbow because you can't relate to it, nor should you. I don't expect you to relate to it Because you're not going through it.

Speaker 2:

Nobody will understand what it is like going through nursing school, except for you and those around you who are doing the exact same thing. It is your own unique experience and those people in your lives your boyfriend, your husband, your girlfriend, your sister, whoever Anybody who's not a nurse or who has not gone through nursing school cannot grasp Climbing the rainbow and sliding down into that pot of gold. But you can. It is uniquely your experience. So go ahead and ask for what you need from those in your life who you love the most and Know that it's okay that they don't fully understand. That's okay. They don't need to fully understand. They can still love you and support you and not Live in your shoes. That is okay. They won't fully understand, when you're a working nurse either, some of the things that you'll go through. So this is just part of the journey.

Speaker 2:

So, to that person who sent me that message, I hope that this helped you in some way and I hope that this helped all of you in some way to just take a moment, step back, look at what you're doing and realize that it is absolutely Beautiful and I am so proud of you. Until next time, this is nurse Lauren. Go to nursing student coach calm to join our mailing list. You can follow me on social media at nursing student coach. I hope you have an amazing, gorgeous and beautiful day. Bye, bye.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to the nursing student coach podcast.

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