How I overcame my fear of surgeries
Hi! If you don’t know me yet, I’m Paula, and I’m currently doing my internship as a dental assistant in a clinic. At first, everything was going smoothly. I was learning techniques, understanding procedures, getting more confident day by day… until one Thursday, everything changed.
That day, I had to assist in a surgery.
It completely caught me off guard. I wasn’t mentally prepared, and my body reacted instantly. I started sweating, my eyes filled with tears, and I felt overwhelmed in a way I hadn’t experienced before. And the worst part? It didn’t just happen once. Every time I had to assist in a surgery for the next two months, I felt exactly the same.
It was frustrating. I felt stuck between wanting to do well and feeling like I just couldn’t handle it.
I remember I was still learning, still trying to find my rhythm… and the surgeon I was assisting had a very intense pace. He expected quick reactions, confidence, precision. I, on the other hand, needed time to process, to breathe, to adapt. But that time didn’t exist in that room.
One day, after another overwhelming experience, I stepped out, cried, and drank a chamomile tea to calm down. And somehow, something shifted.
Little by little, I stopped focusing only on my fear… and started noticing something else.
I began to see the beauty in surgeries.
I saw the patients walking out with relief, with gratitude, with new smiles. I started to understand that what once felt terrifying was actually something meaningful. Something that helped people.
And then, one day, it happened.
I assisted in a surgery without breaking down.
It wasn’t perfect, and I was still nervous, but I stayed. I did my job. I made it through.
That’s when I realized something important: things are rarely as impossible as they feel in our minds. Fear can be loud, convincing, even paralyzing… but it’s not permanent.
If you stay, if you face it little by little, you grow.
And one day, what once made you shake… becomes something you can handle.
Maybe even something you’re proud of.