Cannot get my bearings

[reluctantoptimism]

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I'm in a really bad place at present. I know I'm going to have to withdraw this semester due to family issues and illness. I've withdrawn in the past and I'm afraid, when I apply, it will seem as though I cannot get my bearings. I have a decent GPA and I'm involved in many activities yet it seems as though my continued success hinges on things falling in a certain order (yet they rarely do). I try to be optimistic but I feel as though my journey to medical school will end in one way: I'll fail despite my efforts and be relegated to a life I don't wish to live.

I just need a realistic course of action which helps me minimize stress and gives me the best possible chance of following through with my goals.

 

[dudeliness]

I'm in a really bad place at present. I know I'm going to have to withdraw this semester due to family issues and illness. I've withdrawn in the past and I'm afraid, when I apply, it will seem as though I cannot get my bearings. I have a decent GPA and I'm involved in many activities yet it seems as though my continued success hinges on things falling in a certain order (yet they rarely do). I try to be optimistic but I feel as though my journey to medical school will end in one way: I'll fail despite my efforts and be relegated to a life I don't wish to live.

I just need a realistic course of action which helps me minimize stress and gives me the best possible chance of following through with my goals.

I'm not a negative person. Just ask anyone who knows me. Since nobody here actually knows me you'll just have to take my word for it.
That being said, medical school is not where you go if you are aiming to reduce stress levels. By its very nature, medical school is much more difficult than undergraduate.
First you need to ask yourself if there is ANYTHING else you could do for a livings and be happy.
If you are really set on being a doctor and absolutely nothing else will work for you, then you've got to figure out how to keep plugging away through the stress. If you let the stress overwhelm you for more than a day or two you will get hopelessly behind in school. That is NOT what you want to be doing, trust me.
I personally really like medical school. I enjoy the challenge and have been able to deal with the stress fairly well so far. I also can't see myself doing anything else at all!
Bottom line, you need to figure out if this is what you really want and then learn how to cope with the stress. Best of luck!

 

[reluctantoptimism]

I'm not a negative person. Just ask anyone who knows me. Since nobody here actually knows me you'll just have to take my word for it.
That being said, medical school is not where you go if you are aiming to reduce stress levels. By its very nature, medical school is much more difficult than undergraduate.
First you need to ask yourself if there is ANYTHING else you could do for a livings and be happy.
If you are really set on being a doctor and absolutely nothing else will work for you, then you've got to figure out how to keep plugging away through the stress. If you let the stress overwhelm you for more than a day or two you will get hopelessly behind in school. That is NOT what you want to be doing, trust me.
I personally really like medical school. I enjoy the challenge and have been able to deal with the stress fairly well so far. I also can't see myself doing anything else at all!
Bottom line, you need to figure out if this is what you really want and then learn how to cope with the stress. Best of luck!

It's not that I can't deal with the stress but rather unforeseen factors affect my productivity which leads to extra stress. For example, this semester, my relative is undergoing some medical testing and I've been sick. I've missed a sufficient amount of school and now I'm behind. I don't want to toil away and still not achieve my goal (although no one is certain they will succeed).

 

[dudeliness]

It's not that I can't deal with the stress but rather unforeseen factors affect my productivity which leads to extra stress. For example, this semester, my relative is undergoing some medical testing and I've been sick. I've missed a sufficient amount of school and now I'm behind. I don't want to toil away and still not achieve my goal (although no one is certain they will succeed).

I understand that, I'm just saying that when you're in medical school and stressful things happen you'll have to be able to keep up with school THROUGH the stress. Otherwise you fall behind, very quickly I might add, and if you fall behind too much you'll fail the year. Failing or withdrawing once you've finally gotten to med school is kind of a big deal and could set you back quite a bit, both in time and finances.

As I said before though, if you are dead set on medical school, then you'll just have to figure out how to keep pushing through the stress. There are some good general guidelines that I think apply to everyone in that regard.
-make sure to get a good nights rest every night, even if you have to cut studying short.
-make sure you eat well. Don't feed yourself garbage even though it's the easiest. It'll hurt you in the long run as your immune system and energy plummet.
-try to get at least a bit of physical activity in a few times a week.

Doing those things will not only help your body, but they'll help your mind as well.

Those tips apply no matter what your stress in life is.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

It's not that I can't deal with the stress but rather unforeseen factors affect my productivity which leads to extra stress. For example, this semester, my relative is undergoing some medical testing and I've been sick. I've missed a sufficient amount of school and now I'm behind. I don't want to toil away and still not achieve my goal (although no one is certain they will succeed).

Don't put too much pressure on yourself to achieve things at a certain time point. I.e., you don't have to necessarily apply to medical school your junior year. Don't be afraid to take a gap year, or three.

I'll be honest, you sound like a young college student who has not yet figured out how to deal with life's curveballs. This is something that comes with time/maturity, imo. You are right, this is something you absolutely must master before going to medical school, because **** happens and you can't let yourself collapse every time.

 

[Pacna]

It's not that I can't deal with the stress but rather unforeseen factors affect my productivity which leads to extra stress. For example, this semester, my relative is undergoing some medical testing and I've been sick. I've missed a sufficient amount of school and now I'm behind. I don't want to toil away and still not achieve my goal (although no one is certain they will succeed).

Everybody gets sick. Everybody's family gets sick. If these things cripple your mental state, you'll have to improve this significantly in order to survive med school.

 

[Goro]

Go NOW to your school's counseling center for some help.

Students get sick all the time and withdrawing shows maturity and realism, as opposed to sticking it out, and fialing.

Go and heal, and come back when you're stronger. Work on coping skills too. These will be valuable in medical school

I'm in a really bad place at present. I know I'm going to have to withdraw this semester due to family issues and illness. I've withdrawn in the past and I'm afraid, when I apply, it will seem as though I cannot get my bearings. I have a decent GPA and I'm involved in many activities yet it seems as though my continued success hinges on things falling in a certain order (yet they rarely do). I try to be optimistic but I feel as though my journey to medical school will end in one way: I'll fail despite my efforts and be relegated to a life I don't wish to live.

I just need a realistic course of action which helps me minimize stress and gives me the best possible chance of following through with my goals.

 

[Entadus]

OP, it is normal to feel dejected and even hopeless following a big setback. It's all uphill from here. With a little patience from you, and with lots of goodwill from SDN, I'm sure you'll have a more optimistic perspective in due time.

Relax friend, pursuing medicine is your decision. Why focus on fears about failing to make it to your goal? Not productive use of time and energy!

 

[reluctantoptimism]

Thanks for all your help guys!

After taking sometime to objectively examine my situation, I realize that I shouldn't withdraw due to the fact that I'm actually sitting on fairly good grades. My relative sacrificed so much so I could have a leg up in life and I'm going to persevere. In actuality, my problems seem surmountable and pale in comparison to other people I know.

Thanks for the positivity guys!