I can't!

As perianesthesia nurses, we are familiar with patient anxiety levels. Patients make their nurses especially aware of presurgical anxiety and patient assessments are made considering the very real effects of such apprehension. However, in our own lives, we may be less enlightened about fear and anxiety. This article, melding the approaches suggested in both popular and scientific literature, addresses the issue of recognizing personal fears and developing an action plan to turn fears into successes.