Clare, it’s a tough move to make, and that lack of clarity and numbness is completely normal at this stage. 3 days will help a lot. You can do this!

I can completely relate to you. I have decided I can’t carry on with dentistry but I feel completely numb and have no idea what next to do … or even how to approach this with my manager because I need to cut down to 3 days so I can focus on something else that I could Pursue x

Anett, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I completely understand, and I think a lot of others can relate to what you’re experiencing. This feeling of sadness and anxiety is your intuition telling you that something is wrong. It seems like a bad thing to feel so awful, but it can actually be a good thing because it can force you to change what is creating so much turmoil in your life. It’s not too late to change things. It won’t be easy, but it will be sooooo worth it! You’ve invested a lot in this career, but how will you feel waking up one day 30 years from now, getting ready to go to work for yet another day in dentistry? I wonder how you can use that image to drive you to take one step at a time towards change. Trust me when I say there are other careers out there. Life is too short for you to suffer your way through it. Let me know if I can further help you. I know how painful this is… and oh man, the veneers… that’s the kind of thing that would get me too.

You’re welcome, Alexandra. It’s always great to know what you are experiencing is normal!

Eric, yay, you got my joke/humor/irony! I thought the same thing when I went in to dentistry. I imagine that’s because as dental patients, we were probably good, respectful patients who appreciated our dentists and crew. i never knew there could be another side to it. Everything you say sounds like my experience. That feeling of responsibility felt like I carried the whole weight of the world on my shoulders. I don’t know if we’ve had this discussion before, but I think having teachers tell me that once I touch a tooth, I own it, was one of the most damaging things I could have heard in my career. I know and understand the point, but for people like us, it’s too much. We take that to the extreme and own it more than patients.

And yes… the fear and worry about who would be unhappy with something that day was a constant. I’m so glad that you are able to experience work that allows you to turn stress into a positive force. That is so amazing!!

Now that I am engaged in a completely different direction, I find that my anxiety has gone away. I may find myself in stressful situations, but because I love what I am doing, I embrace the stress and turn that energy into a positive force. And my resting heart rate has gone down.

You’re welcome, although I can’t say it was entirely my idea! 😉 That is a great point about being an empath. So you probably get that little point I snuck in there that I often wondered if I would have anxiety as the patient. I think I am an empath too. I’ve learned that in some ways that is amazing, and in other ways it can be a bit detrimental. I think the key is to learn to “protect” ourselves from other people’s energy, while also knowing when we can connect with others in order to create that amazing experience. That takes constant work, but is worth the effort. Thank you for sharing your experience with anxiety. I found that dentistry was a bigger trigger for me too. While I naturally still have my triggers, it’s more the exception than it is the rule. Can’t wait to see what’s next for you!