feeling blue...

[hoping2004]

---

Members do not see this ad.

anyone feeling sad today? i'm feeling so stressed out by this process and feeling like an acceptance is a long ways away. sigh.... i have 3 more secondaries to finish, and yet i can't seem to finish them...

 

[LoneCoyote]

Originally posted by hoping2004
anyone feeling sad today? i'm feeling so stressed out by this process and feeling like an acceptance is a long ways away. sigh.... i have 3 more secondaries to finish, and yet i can't seem to finish them...

keep your head up, it'll get better. think of it this way... you're in a good position doing secondaries now. some people are not at that point yet. they'll get done and if you're really hitting a wall with them just take a break. you can really get yourself nowhere by working on an essay when you aren't motivated. sometimes going back to it later gives you a new look at it. so keep focused on the end goal and do what you need to do to relax as best you can. good luck 🙂

 

[somekevinguy]

hey, i was definitely feeling frustrated with the whole process as well...just seems like essay after essay with the end goal still so distant. But yep, keep your head up and maybe just take some time away from them if youre feeling super frustrated. Go hang out with your friends and just have some fun...or even go play with some kids at the hospital or something just to kinda remind yourself of the larger picture beyond this often frustrating process. best of luck.

 

[Jtak]

don't worry about it. i have a bunch more secondaries than you that i haven't finished yet and my letters haven't even been sent yet! don't worry, you're in good shape. just try your best and relax if you're feeling too stressed.

 

[calebho501]

It's really easy to get burned out in this process. In the past month, I was trying really hard to finish all the secondaries as they come, and that just increase my anxiety. When you're anxious all the time, you feel tired easily. When you hit that point of mental exhaustion, you just can't do any work anymore.

 

[Wardens]

I know exactly what you mean. I'm sort of in the same position right now. You're ahead of the game with your secondaries so you should feel good about that. I suggest taking a day or two off from secondaries, and try not to think about them at all. After that, just commit yourself to finishing them before school starts and then sit back and let the waiting game begin.

 

[lessismoe]

Hi hoping, I'm stressed out too. It's so hard to stay focused on all of these essays when you still have a life to live meanwhile: work, school, household chores... I think you and I need to take a day off and try to regain some perspective.

For us and the rest of you stressed-out applicants out there, here's a list of some things I can think of to do to de-stress:

1. Read a book-- and for God's sake, not one of those pre-med books!! Read a trashy romance novel, if only for comedy's sake. Read something you would find in the quarter section of the second hand book store. If your attention span is short and you need some inspiration, try a book of humorous quotations. Just occupy your mind!

2. Plan a dinner party and cook everything yourself. Sometimes, the best ideas come when you are relaxed and doing menial things.

3. Take a day trip. Do all of the stupid touristy things in your area. Go to the gift shops and chuckle at the cheesy souvenirs they hock.

4. Write something OTHER than an essay. Try a poem. Write a story about a ficticious person on the adcom... Hey, that could be a fun new thread!

5. Retail therapy!! Don't you NEED interview clothes anyhow? 😉

6. If all else fails, drink a beer and watch Simpson's reruns.

No matter how hard it gets, we CANNOT give in to the blues, friends! I know we are all goal-oriented, but we have to remember that life is a journey!! Even if (WHEN!!) we become doctors, we have to keep perspective that it is the journey that is important. As humanitarian doctors, our goals will be to heal the hurts of humanity; we can never meet this goal!! There will always be more wounds to heal!! So remember, we are in it for the journey, and this journey should be thoroughly enjoyed!

Take a day off and come back fists-first tomorrow!

 

[lisa13579]

Thanks, that was a great reminder about the way I feel about life also, it IS a journey that we need to enjoy. I always tell that to people, but I'm having a hard time NOT being anxious. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[umass rower]

I agree with the people saying to take a break. Spend a day or two doing nothing even remotely related to medical school. Then get back to it, and you'll find that some of your energy has returned.

Just make sure you set yourself a day and time to get back to work, or it may never happen.🙂

 

[Paws]

One thing that I've been doing that has helped me this summer is to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. I have been working downtown Manhattan and so I trek up to the Bridge, which is swarming with tourists, and I join them as I walk out and over the span and into Brooklyn.

For me, this is incredibly helpful because it is great exercise - about 2 miles I guess, altogether - and I am with people who come from all over the world to visit here. The sun is sinking behind the buildings and everything is a golden glow. And I think of the engineers who built this incredible structure over 100 years ago, and without any of the equipment we have today. basically, by hand!

Being surrounded by cheerful tourists is fun, too. As I walk I think over the things I have to deal with and I work out solutions. I can't desribe how it works really, but I end up feeling really refreshed and serene and with my stamina renewed.

I do this like, 3 x a week and it's help ALOT.

 

[hoping2004]

thanks guys! after a good night's sleep, i'm feeling MUCH better 🙂

 

[DrSal]

Think of it this way, at least you're on secondaries, SOMEONE out there is interested in giving you a chance to come to their school since your application is looking good. You're not a year back (where i am) stressing about what mcat prep course to take and wondering what in the owrld will next summer look like 😕 So chill out and ENJOY. At least you're that far in the process.