Stress...Stress...Stress!!

It has already been almost a half way through the semester; I cannot help noticing that I seem to be fumbling around and not exactly know the procedures and there was no more joy of learning. Last week at the clinic, anxiety and pressure were already built up in me prior to doing a periodontal charting on my patient, which hindered my judgment. I could not keep myself from doubting while walking of the probe tip along the bottom of the pocket. The probe was supposed to be inserted until the tip encounters the resistance of the junctional epithelium. I kept having second guess whether I was feeling the resistance or not. In addition, it was extremely difficult to probe the distal surfaces of the posterior molars while keeping the probe positioned parallel to the tooth surface. It took me over thirty minutes to chart and I ended up with huge headache and a frown face.
It was definitively due to frustration on my lack of clinical experiences, but I could have relaxed more instead of being all frustrated and stressed out. I realized that I need to accept the fact that I am bound to encounter many problems at the clinic which I do not have any control over and which effect stress has on me depends on how I handle it. No situation creates stress by itself; it is how I think about the situation that makes it stressful. The time will take care of lack of clinical experience and I can definitively benefit from learning and practicing relaxation techniques. Not only it will reduce frustration and stress, it will also improve concentration and confidence so I can stop doubting and start learning.