How to eliminate mental stress during medschool?

There is no right or wrong way to deal with mental stress. You just gotta go with what works for you. But if you have no clue on how to do that, then this article’s for you.

Getting into med school isn’t easy & all of you’ve probably worked your butts off to get in. But getting in is the easy part, staying sane while you get your degree is the harder one. Why do I say that? Because I have seen countless people give up in the midst of all that work.

Stress in med school comes in different forms. It can be not getting a better score than you hoped for, it can be not being able to understand what is being taught, it can be related to your peers & comparing yourself to them, it can be failing in a subject or an year, it can be the first death you’ve witnessed in your career – you get the drift right?

But how do you deal with the stress & not give up is the main question that needs answering. Here are some techniques that worked for me:-

1. STOP

You have to stop. Stop overthinking about whatever your brain is spouting. Stop comparing yourself to your peers. It’s ok. Whatever has happened till now is not that huge of a deal. No matter what others say, know that YOU’RE ENOUGH. I know it’s not as easy as I am making it to be, I am trying not to make it seem like that but whatever action you have taken to battle the stress out, no matter how small it is – I wanna tell you that you did a great job & that you just gotta keep pushing forward. Take a step back, look at the situation from a different perspective. Most times, a look at the bigger picture helps.

2. MEDITATE

Take a deep breath in & release it out slowly. Do it for 5 times or more – whenever you feel overwhelmed. It calms you down like no other.

3. TIME MANAGEMENT

Managing your time & planning out your day is very important to stay sane. Don’t just wing it. Set a time for each activity & stick to it. Divide your time into college, studying & having fun. It is important to have a work-life balance.

4. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Being active & having a fit lifestyle is a must. Especially because you know it makes the body release endorphins & they trigger positive vibes. 30 minutes of exercise is more than enough. And if you can’t set apart a whole set of 30 minutes, make use of three 10 minute breaks. It doesn’t have to be something huge, walking while listening to your favorite music or podcast is enough.

5. TALK/WRITE

Sometimes your peers might be going through the same thing, so talking about it with each other can help. But there might be stuff you can’t or don’t want to speak about. Then, writing them out in a diary would be better. Just dump out whatever comes to your mind until you feel better.

6. EAT HEALTHY & WATER INTAKE

I know it’s easy to go with junk or instant food & huge dosages of caffeine but please, please make a conscious choice and try to eat healthy. Take your vitamins, drink more water (I follow the 1 litre for 25kgs body weight formula), eat your share of fruits & try to minimize your caffeine & sugar intake.

7. SLEEP

Getting enough sleep is a hard thing to do especially when you are too excited about life, watching movies, dramas & having fun in general & let’s not forget all the all-nighters that we pull off studying last minute. But in spite of all that, sleeping for a solid 6-8 hours is a necessity to function properly & give your best at all times.

These are all things that worked for me. And I hope they can work for you as well.

When I was at my lowest after failing a year of med school, I kind of lost it. I couldn’t breathe, every second was suffocating & I was stuck in an endless loop of ‘what ifs?’. But you know what helped me out of that slump? Words from a global boyband, BTS, that people make fun of –

“Life is tough, and things don’t always work out well, but we should be brave and go on with our lives.”

“If you end up getting the results that you don’t want, you might think that your entire world is falling apart. But it’s not. Life isn’t all about studies.”

To me, every word that they have said made an impact. It changed how I looked at things & that change was for the better. I found myself again underneath all that stress, anxiety & depression. They helped without even trying to.

Love Yourselves Peeps, it’s the only way to live.

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