Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?
Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?
Um. No....if I felt like that they wouldn't be my friends. Rather have 0 friends than friends like that bro
what about relatives? can't get rid of 'em, bro
Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?
I am actually in the same boat as you. I hadn't told my family until two weeks ago I was accepted into med school. The reaction has been tears (not of joy) and massive guilt trips since then. I told them I thought they'd be happy for me, and the response was - "Why on earth would I be happy for you?" Saying I'm ruining my life, and that a woman's life should be centered around having babies. And hey even if I don't want kids I could/should pop out a couple and hand them over so they can take care of them til after I finish residency.
So yes, distance helps a lot. Drop the non supportive friends though. My friends are my family by choice now. You will absolutely need a solid support system. I tell you this from experience. I thought it wasn't that important, but undergrad and grad school was made massively harder by family telling me to drop out when it got hard, and lots of phone calls/etc during finals time. I used to think that you had an obligation to your family, but as guilty as I feel, you must distance yourself from them. It's for your own health and well-being. You don't owe toxic people anything no matter what they tell you. If you're still having a hard time with this, do it for your future patients. You WILL be a worse doctor if you have emotional drains on you during school.
I am actually in the same boat as you. I hadn't told my family until two weeks ago I was accepted into med school. The reaction has been tears (not of joy) and massive guilt trips since then. I told them I thought they'd be happy for me, and the response was - "Why on earth would I be happy for you?" Saying I'm ruining my life, and that a woman's life should be centered around having babies. And hey even if I don't want kids I could/should pop out a couple and hand them over so they can take care of them til after I finish residency.
Right after I got accepted to my school my aunt, whose daughter is a 3rd year DO student, told OUR grandmother, "Well, X's DO school is a MUCCCHH better school than Southern!!!!"
That's extremely mean and uncalled for, especially considering that it is our mutual grandmother. Who freakin says that?
Okay so the family thing you can't control, but the frenemy thing you can. Drop them.
When I got accepted into a very good college, my aunt told me she was looking out for my best interest so don't go to that school because it would be too hard for me. Instead go to a "no name" school. Turns out she just wanted to set the bar lower for her own kid, who could go to a 'better' school than me.
I am actually in the same boat as you. I hadn't told my family until two weeks ago I was accepted into med school. The reaction has been tears (not of joy) and massive guilt trips since then. I told them I thought they'd be happy for me, and the response was - "Why on earth would I be happy for you?" Saying I'm ruining my life, and that a woman's life should be centered around having babies. And hey even if I don't want kids I could/should pop out a couple and hand them over so they can take care of them til after I finish residency.
So yes, distance helps a lot. Drop the non supportive friends though. My friends are my family by choice now. You will absolutely need a solid support system. I tell you this from experience. I thought it wasn't that important, but undergrad and grad school was made massively harder by family telling me to drop out when it got hard, and lots of phone calls/etc during finals time. I used to think that you had an obligation to your family, but as guilty as I feel, you must distance yourself from them. It's for your own health and well-being. You don't owe toxic people anything no matter what they tell you. If you're still having a hard time with this, do it for your future patients. You WILL be a worse doctor if you have emotional drains on you during school.
I am actually in the same boat as you. I hadn't told my family until two weeks ago I was accepted into med school. The reaction has been tears (not of joy) and massive guilt trips since then. I told them I thought they'd be happy for me, and the response was - "Why on earth would I be happy for you?" Saying I'm ruining my life, and that a woman's life should be centered around having babies. And hey even if I don't want kids I could/should pop out a couple and hand them over so they can take care of them til after I finish residency.
The heck 😕
Friends and family are supposed to be happy and proud that you are doing well
what about relatives? can't get rid of 'em, bro
I have relatives who are idiots, too. Every time I hear them talk I think to myself, "Wow, those guys are idiots" and just smile and nod at whatever they say. That works pretty well.
One of my relatives over the long weekend was telling me how doctors don't want to cure cancer because then they'd lose money 🙂
My wife diverted the conversation and I just smiled and nodded!
Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?
I can definitely relate to this thread, it seems recently I have been drawing a lot of negative energy towards me. It doesn't matter what people think of you, but only what you think OF THEM.
If I chose to dwell on all the ways in which people could have offended me or treated me different from how I want/deserve to be treated, my own life would be pretty miserable swimming in those thoughts/memories. Instead, I like to focus on positive aspects in those people and think "ok maybe this person has a problem with me, but I don't have a problem with them. I can accept and let people just be who they are. And focus on my own life and all these wonderful things that are happening to me."
When you shift your focus to appreciation and being happy for yourself/ loving yourself, you'll realize that what anybody else thinks or does in contradiction to that really doesn't matter. Focus on keeping yourself feeling good. (And since it's tough to feel good while I think a friend has betrayed me, I just choose to think more positive thoughts like how much the friend has helped me in the past despite their current behavior and what positive aspects I admire in them. And maybe they're going through their own issues/insecurities and that's why they are reacting this way to me. It has nothing to do with me but everything to do with the relationship they have with themselves.)
Amen. Everyone has a few relatives whom everyone else finds incredibly offensive/a##-kissing/rude/pretentious. The best thing to do is keep your mouth closed and ignore them. The smile and nod thing is golden. I recently had a "family gathering" at my parents'... I have aunts who are sorely jealous of me being in medical school while their kids are doing whatever else (I feel bad because they're quite successful on their own merit and I get along with them well)... you just grit your teeth and smile when they say nonsense like "oh doctors aren't getting paid well... they're no longer the hot thing... they're going down the drain... etc etc".
Amen. Everyone has a few relatives whom everyone else finds incredibly offensive/a##-kissing/rude/pretentious. The best thing to do is keep your mouth closed and ignore them. The smile and nod thing is golden. I recently had a "family gathering" at my parents'... I have aunts who are sorely jealous of me being in medical school while their kids are doing whatever else (I feel bad because they're quite successful on their own merit and I get along with them well)... you just grit your teeth and smile when they say nonsense like "oh doctors aren't getting paid well... they're no longer the hot thing... they're going down the drain... etc etc".
Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?
I can definitely relate to this thread, it seems recently I have been drawing a lot of negative energy towards me. It doesn't matter what people think of you, but only what you think OF THEM.
If I chose to dwell on all the ways in which people could have offended me or treated me different from how I want/deserve to be treated, my own life would be pretty miserable swimming in those thoughts/memories. Instead, I like to focus on positive aspects in those people and think "ok maybe this person has a problem with me, but I don't have a problem with them. I can accept and let people just be who they are. And focus on my own life and all these wonderful things that are happening to me."
When you shift your focus to appreciation and being happy for yourself/ loving yourself, you'll realize that what anybody else thinks or does in contradiction to that really doesn't matter. Focus on keeping yourself feeling good. (And since it's tough to feel good while I think a friend has betrayed me, I just choose to think more positive thoughts like how much the friend has helped me in the past despite their current behavior and what positive aspects I admire in them. And maybe they're going through their own issues/insecurities and that's why they are reacting this way to me. It has nothing to do with me but everything to do with the relationship they have with themselves.)
wtf, where do you gather that they are happy for him from his posts? You're kidding yourself if you think there aren't jealous people around, even among some friends and relatives, unfortunately.No. Your friends are not jealous. They're happy for you.
I have had both my fiance and buddies who work outside of medicine comment on how many medical students can't seem to shut up about stuff medically related, and can't seem carry a conversation about something non-medically related. A lot of annoyance can come from that. So make sure you're not one of 'those guys'.
Right after I got accepted to my school my aunt, whose daughter is a 3rd year DO student, told OUR grandmother, "Well, X's DO school is a MUCCCHH better school than Southern!!!!"
That's extremely mean and uncalled for, especially considering that it is our mutual grandmother. Who freakin says that?
I am actually in the same boat as you. I hadn't told my family until two weeks ago I was accepted into med school. The reaction has been tears (not of joy) and massive guilt trips since then. I told them I thought they'd be happy for me, and the response was - "Why on earth would I be happy for you?" Saying I'm ruining my life, and that a woman's life should be centered around having babies. And hey even if I don't want kids I could/should pop out a couple and hand them over so they can take care of them til after I finish residency.
Wait a sec, do we have the same family? 😉 My mother and aunt went so far as to call me when one of my cousins had (another) baby they didn't want this past January. The first thing I heard on the phone was not hi but "Do you want a baby girl? You can come pick her up at the hospital tomorrow." It was horrible. They knew I lost a baby a few years back and that after much consideration had decided to wait on a family until after med school. Still, I guess they had to give it a try, since I'm 28 and an obvious failure to my sex. 😉
At any rate distance definitely helps, but it'll always sting knowing those who are supposed to care simply don't. Good thing is, some of them come around! My mother, for instance, is much better now.
Another favorite: kooky cousin (fun to have around though) thinks we give vaccines to make people sick so they can come see the doctor.
Another favorite: kooky cousin (fun to have around though) thinks we give vaccines to make people sick so they can come see the doctor.
If my parents were so desperate for grandkids that they trampled on my feelings and dreams and tried to make me feel guilty for pursuing my own happiness because of it, I'd hand them a cup of my jizz and tell them to get all the grandkids they wanted as long as they gtfo of my life
If my parents were so desperate for grandkids that they trampled on my feelings and dreams and tried to make me feel guilty for pursuing my own happiness because of it, I'd hand them a cup of my jizz and tell them to get all the grandkids they wanted as long as they gtfo of my life
@Lbgem, thank you for your kind words!
This reminds me of a time I was on a cruise with my parents and their friends (who have a daughter my age, we were childhood friends). She decided to get married and start a family, while I took a different path in moving into my own apartment and starting medical school.
My childhood friend's mother went on and on at the end of dinner about how universal healthcare now that it had been passed would lead to a plunge in doctor salary and make docs need to see more patients. And then she went on to specifically point out that I wouldn't be making any money and I would have these student loans to pay off. To me, it didn't seem like a "matter of fact" comment but more like a critical one, dwelling on negatives. So Hey, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has overheard such comments.
Her mother apparently got a lot of her family fortune through her father (who built railway structures on contract back in the day, took a lot of money from that project and kept it to himself). She constantly brags about herself to my mother and basically makes use of any opportunity to point out how her daughter is "settled" in life and she can finally relax. (While my mother obviously cannot relax because I am finding independence and my own career 😉)
My mother is a kind patient and forgiving woman. And a few of her friends would have been shown a nice shiny door out of my life if they were my friends. At the end of the day, I guess "people can be stupid." And out of their own insecurities, they can do and say really silly things. And as long as I realize that this behavior stems out of insecurity or jealousy or any negative emotion, I really pity them. I pity anyone who feels the need to explain their situation, or put others down, or brag in order to feel better about their own situation or stance in life. It takes a secure person to be humble, kind, and appreciative of other's achievements. And unfortunately, not everyone is secure about themselves and it's a very sad thing for that insecure person who has to live their life feeling that way about himself/herself.
just spat out my coffee reading that! HAHAHA!
(although...)
this. I'm fortunate to have supportive friends/family who don't want to see me fail, but they still have major ignorance and conspiracy theories about the medical field.
My friends really thinks anesthesiology is the easiest job out there, and that you are paid the big bucks to just sit in a chair and read, or that vaccines are part of bigpharmas conspiracy to cause autism. One of my friends watched the movie "Food Matters", and was explaining to me how I will soon be brainwashed by the medical establishment into doing cancer treatments that actually kill people. He said medical school purposely covers up the real cure for cancer that Max Gerson discovered (i.e. raw veggie shakes, vitamins and hydrogen peroxide)![]()
Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?
If my parents were so desperate for grandkids that they trampled on my feelings and dreams and tried to make me feel guilty for pursuing my own happiness because of it, I'd hand them a cup of my jizz and tell them to get all the grandkids they wanted as long as they gtfo of my life
I recently got to meet several of my old high school friends. They are about the same age as me. They still live at home, and work minimum wage jobs. No sign of any prospects on the horizon.
I mostly kept my mouth shut and listened to them, in case I'd come across as being arrogant. I couldn't relate to them anymore. I really didn't know what to say.
The reason is that I had a friend walk away from our friendship. He straight out told me that he was tired of being jealous of me. Tired of me succeeding at everything, while he floundered. What am I supposed to say to that? Sorry that I actually studied in high school and college?
Ever feel that your relatives or best friends secretly want you to fail? are jealous you're in med school? this is probably something that bothers me a lot....how to get over it?