Lost sense of urgency

[Medgrant]

Hello all,

Within the last few weeks I feel that I have lost my sense of urgency regarding school related things such as studying, class, and research (also, non-school related things). When I felt the stress from upcoming events such as exams and presentations, I would get things done. Just like everyone else. Recently, I seem to be prioritizing things such as sleep over school and it's almost becoming serious problem. I made my first C on an exam in years because of this. Ill have to make high A's on my remaining exams to guarantee an A in this course now. This is not an issue as I probably will do so, but my issue is this state that I am currently in.

For example, when I wake up in the morning I'd rather sleep than go to class because it seems like I'm not stressed enough to care. I'm too tired to attend class and would rather sleep.. This is not like me in any way and I have never acted like this.

Any comments or suggestions on what to do to get back into the mindset that I need to be in/have been in? I've never had this happen so I don't even know how to approach it, but I'd like to address it as I should be the most productive at this point in my undergraduate career with all of the things I need to do instead of slowly becoming a lazy idiot.

Thank you!

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[ZedsDed]

Possibly depression? If so this is not the place to ask for advice. Consider seeing a therapist, s/he will do nothing but good things for you.

 

[amazing tekkers]

You're skipping class in the morning because you're probably going to bed late. Go to bed earlier. Make sure to plan things out for the rest of the semester, whatever you plan, make sure to work on it that same day and try to get it done.

 

[Holmwood]

Are you freshman/sophomore? Once you get out of highschool, your sleep schedule is basically screwed. You're active all night and sleepy all day as a result.
Chronic sleep deprivation would also make it harder to focus on your work, reducing your motivation to diligently study. Might I also remind

Try and wake up earlier and sleep earlier.

You should also download a light alarm app that gradually increases the brightness as you approach your waking time (or buy the physical machine, I guess). This will help your body gradually prepare to wake up rather than be abruptly interrupted from sleep which can contribute to fatigue. Additionally, these days we put curtains all over the house, so you basically wake up in the dark. This will seriously mess up your circadian rhythm. Today was the first day I tried this, and I ended up waking up naturally at 6:00AM even before the alarm rang.

You should talk with a sleep doctor if the problem persists. It's a more common problem than you think, I believe.

 

[Medgrant]

Possibly depression? If so this is not the place to ask for advice. Consider seeing a therapist, s/he will do nothing but good things for you.

I've thought about it, but I do not feel any different from usual. It's just that I don't seem to be that worried about school. All other parts of my life are about the same.

You're skipping class in the morning because you're probably going to bed late. Go to bed earlier. Make sure to plan things out for the rest of the semester, whatever you plan, make sure to work on it that same day and try to get it done.

Even weeks when I get plenty of sleep, it is the same story.

Are you freshman/sophomore? Once you get out of highschool, your sleep schedule is basically screwed. You're active all night and sleepy all day as a result.
Chronic sleep deprivation would also make it harder to focus on your work, reducing your motivation to diligently study. Might I also remind

Try and wake up earlier and sleep earlier.

You should also download a light alarm app that gradually increases the brightness as you approach your waking time (or buy the physical machine, I guess). This will help your body gradually prepare to wake up rather than be abruptly interrupted from sleep which can contribute to fatigue. Additionally, these days we put curtains all over the house, so you basically wake up in the dark. This will seriously mess up your circadian rhythm. Today was the first day I tried this, and I ended up waking up naturally at 6:00AM even before the alarm rang.

You should talk with a sleep doctor if the problem persists. It's a more common problem than you think, I believe.

I'm a senior by hours, junior by age. The whole sleep schedule of a pre-med student doing ten different things on top of MCAT prep to make it into medical school isn't new to me, unfortunately

 

[sat0ri]

What year are you? Where are you at in this term (finals approaching)? Has there been any changes in course rigor (more/less)? Any recent life events or changes in perspective/epiphanies (e.g., low tier is good enough for me; I like research more than clinical; etc.)? Changes in your sleep (increased deprivation), other than your sleeping in more? Changes in body weight, diet, or activity level (decreased exercise)? Any subjective sense of burn out? Increased stress? Changes in your routine whatsoever? Changes in medication? Increased internet use?

I'm thinking burn out vs. sleep debt vs. organic cause vs. psychological vs. senoritis; There are a few inciting factors that you might be able to rule out on your own.

This is the internet, and worse yet, this is SDN (a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, v.s. my post), so if you want medical advice you should see a doctor.

 

[Holmwood]

.


I'm a senior by hours, junior by age. The whole sleep schedule of a pre-med student doing ten different things on top of MCAT prep to make it into medical school isn't new to me, unfortunately

Well there you go. Your lack of motivation probably comes from being burnt out. Things seem out of your control... that emoticon is suggestive of learned helplessness as well. But then again, perhaps it all started from your diminishing grade, and you're trying to justify it with some psychological ailment.

Either way, a full couseload on top of ECs and the new MCAT preparation coupled by sleep deprivation are terrible combinations. The increased rigor of senior cousework is also a factor. Are you thinking about applying this upcoming cycle? It seems you are putting on an unreasonable amount of work on your platter in order to rush an application.

 

[Pasmal]

You're doing too much. Take a few days off, get some perspective, and then figure out what you will be able to reasonably handle. Talking to a pre-med advisor at your school may be helpful in this.

Try to figure this out quickly. If you're burnt out, you need to recognize that and do something about it now. You also need to learn how to take care of yourself and prevent this from happening in medical school, where academically-speaking burn-out is infinitely harder to come back from.

 

[NeuResurgens]

I've experienced lulls like this, you just need to get back in gear. Try changing your sleep schedule so you sleep earlier and get at least 7.5 hours of sleep, try to start exercising (if you don't do it, even doing stretches and push ups in your house can help) and maybe tweak your diet if you don't get enough vegetables and fruits. This is what I did when I went though a slump and it has helped.

 

[sat0ri]

Do you ever get the chance to go out for a night? Sometimes you just need to take a night for yourself, drink a beer or 3, and just purge all that pent up tension. It surprisingly improves efficiency if done right, though I was always reluctant to do this when I was also in the thick of it. I think this is a case of all work no play, and the constant grind has worn down your motivation. You need to give yourself a day or two to recuperate

 

[Mad Jack]

The first thing I thought when I saw "decreased urgency" was nerve damage. Wow does med school mess with the way you read things.

 

[Medgrant]

I do believe that I may be burnt out, as well. I'll have to look into making a some changes and see if I can't get over it sooner rather than later.

 

[cryhavoc]

I'm a senior. I have to set three alarms throughout my room in order to get up in the morning. My exercise routine is irregular. My short term memory is on the fritz. I can remember all the intermediates to a lot of biochemical pathways but I can't remember if I made coffee yet. I forget I started laundry. I say hi to people that sort of look familiar because I probably forgot them.

I can't see my bedroom floor right now, I got a very, -uh, sophisticated organization system going on. I've ran out of colors to keep my marker board organized. I sometimes sing songs about enslavement to myself while doing homework and talk to myself in public.

Thank goodness I'm not going straight out of my senior year into medical school. I definitely need some R&R, my toast is burnt.