How do you guys deal with the stress?

Started by Boidae
Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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Boidae

Boidae

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10+ Year Member
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I've been taking various prereqs in a community college for two years--nothing major, just random things to get me into my undergrad school I wanted. Now I'm here and it's really starting to bear down on me that it's do-or-die now.

I'm in a vet tech/pre-vet program that's great because it's filled with science but at the same time is already stressing me out. I have to maintain a 3.25 GPA and mine's already a 3.57, which means I can only tolerate one B in the five classes I'm taking this semester. It's nothing terrible: algebra, Spanish, art, globalization, and public speaking. Math is my weak point so I've been studying like crazy and it's paying off. So far, so good. I'm fine art, globalization, and public speaking since they're very writing-heavy and I've always been a good writer.

Spanish might be the death of me, though. I can hardly remember a thing from high school and I'm worried I'll end up falling behind. I've been studying and going over the basics again to get myself reacquainted but I'm terribly nervous. Being in this program means a lot to me--I know science classes aren't everything but this one has a lot and I want to immerse myself in it. Plus, my mom is so excited one of her children is going to college and she calls me every day to ask how everything's going and I can't let her down.

I have to keep a 3.25 to be in the honors program AND stay in the vet tech program AND I have to have at LEAST a B in all veterinary science/natural science courses. I can only repeat a course once and even then I don't have the space in my very tight four year schedule for repeats.

How do you guys deal with this kind of thing? Is it worse when you move on to grad school? I'm sure it is but I'm hoping I'll learn to tolerate stress better by then.
 
Find enjoyment in the little things.

Do your best to learn to worry a little less. All you can do is your best, yes?

Set realistic expectations of yourself. We're only human, not superhuman.

Use your study time efficiently so you don't have to be "studying" all the time. Gotta make some time for fun. And when you do have fun times, put school out of your mind and don't feel guilty because "you should be studying"...defeats the purpose.

...alcohol?
 
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But more often like this:
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Exercise helps too. Go for a walk or jog.

I picked up crochet and found that having a low-energy yet repetitive outlet for my anxious mannerisms really helped. And you can do it during lecture. Bonus!
 
Hiking. My dog and I hit the trails a lot. It keeps my head clear and we both burn off excess energy.

lbecktell said:
Exercise helps too. Go for a walk or jog.

I picked up crochet and found that having a low-energy yet repetitive outlet for my anxious mannerisms really helped. And you can do it during lecture. Bonus!
Click to expand...

I just picked up knitting for that same reason! It also helps with dexterity and coordination 👍
 
Call me childish, but I always resort to online gaming for my de-stressing needs haha. The key is finding the game that is competitive enough to make you satisfied when you win, and not too competitive to actually make you frustrated (and make you even MORE stressed). It's also super important to know when to stop. 😀
 
Haven't figured that out yet .... I recently got asked to 'take a break' from my volunteer position till after the Holidays cause I was so stressed and busy I was missing shifts I forgot I signed up for. Essentially ... they helped me. I don't know my limits yet I guess.
 
Well it's my first week back so I've been dealing with a lot of crying, a ton of questioning myself and my sanity, and some wine. 🙂 I'll check back in a couple weeks.
 
SDN.... as an outlet to talk with people who get it.

and then IRL, booze, walking the dog, poker, chilling with friends.... what have you... and sometime you just have to bang your head against a wall a few times (jk)
 
Usually, I either default to playing video games... usually some of my favorites. Or, I take my dog and we go on some nice long walks/hikes.
 
Ok so here's my real answer. You have to focus on the short-term. My problem was that I would see what I could do wrong now and how that was going to affect 80 year old me. It kept me from being able to actually accomplish anything because I would panic about something that was so far away instead of just taking it a day at a time and doing my best each day. It sounds to me like you do the same thing. While it is good to have foresight, too much can overwhelm you and actually hinder your success.

So...take it a day at a time.

Sleep. Sleeping is so important to your health and your ability to learn.

Eat well. I don't follow this like I should, however, it does make me feel better and like I can do more when I eat healthy.

Exercise. Some people swear by it. If you don't enjoy exercising, find something else that you do enjoy and do that to take you mind off of things for a little while.

Meditation. There are even like apps for this. I can't remember what it is, but there is a specific ratio to the amount of time you should breathe in compared to breathe out in order to decrease your heart rate and become more relaxed. I'm sure you can find it if you do some google research.

I hate talking about feelings, it actually makes me more anxious, so seeing a therapist didn't work for me, but it may for you.

If all else fails, see your doctor. I struggled with my anxiety for almost 10 years before talking to my doctor about it. It had gotten so bad that I shut everyone out, couldn't sleep, was making grades that I had never made before, and was having heart palpitations. Medication isn't always the answer, but if you can't get it under control at least seek out help.
 
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I make sure to prioritize sleep as much as possible, as it's important for me to get a lot of it. I also make time to hang out with friends, read for pleasure, keep my house in relatively decent shape (cluttered/messy/dirty house makes me feel more stressed), talk to my husband and family back home, watch football, etc. Basically - find things to do that are not at all school related and do them.
 
My friends, mostly. Whether it's games nights to have a few hours being ridiculous, or giving me a hug when I'm freaked out trying to do a jugular blood draw, or just being there to listen to me vent. And I do the same for them. Sure, I've got other stuff like watching anime or playing video games on my own or getting to the gym a couple times a week, but there's really no substitute for a solid group of vet school friends. Even my non-vet school friends don't quite fill that gap cause they just don't get it.
 
For me:

-Getting enough sleep!
-Eating well.
-Exercise
-Bar a couple times a month with friends to unwind
-Candy Crush 😀

Schedule time to study. During that scheduled time, focus on studying. Schedule short breaks every hour or so.
 
cowgirla said:
75% of the calories I've consumed over the past 48 hours have been caffeine- based.
20% were alcohol.

I guess I should go eat a sandwich or something.
Click to expand...

I would have been able to say basically the same thing, except I just ate a taco. You should try it! Food is good. 😛
 
So far this semester, caffeine, alcohol, and naps. I should probably start exercising or something. My problem is that I abhor running and most gym activities. Classes are good for me but also tend to cost money which is sort of not available right now. 😕
 
Having a good group of friends to socialize and hang out with is a great way for me to battle stress. Talking about your stresses and problems with someone (weather it be face to face or online) can tremendously help you get a grip on your troubles. Another big one for me is going to the gym.
 
I aimed for a 3.5 every quarter in undergrad, and it worked out so if I got half A's, and half B's, I was fine (assuming that all the classes were worth the same amount of units)? So if you're taking 6 classes you can have 3 B's?

Befriend the nerdy kids in your class and invite them to study with you. That way you can socialize and study at the same time, and got stuff explained to you when you feel lost. Which is not to say that you should expect other people to teach you material, but I definitely feel that studying with friends results in less "holes" in my knowledge because we double check each other.
 
felinelvr44 said:
So far this semester, caffeine, alcohol, and naps. I should probably start exercising or something. My problem is that I abhor running and most gym activities. Classes are good for me but also tend to cost money which is sort of not available right now. 😕
Click to expand...

Beachbody has some AWESOME home fitness programs! You should send me a message, if you are interested! They have literally saved my life. I hate gyms and running!
 
felinelvr44 said:
So far this semester, caffeine, alcohol, and naps. I should probably start exercising or something. My problem is that I abhor running and most gym activities. Classes are good for me but also tend to cost money which is sort of not available right now. 😕
Click to expand...

If you have access to a gym, give weight lifting/power lifting a try. I started with Stronglifts 5x5 and loved it (just beware of the page when you Google it, it's very heavily marketed towards men and it all comes across like stereotypical locker room bragging; but it's a great program!). I don't like most exercise either, but I look forward to lifting.
 
Coquette22 said:
If you have access to a gym, give weight lifting/power lifting a try. I started with Stronglifts 5x5 and loved it (just beware of the page when you Google it, it's very heavily marketed towards men and it all comes across like stereotypical locker room bragging; but it's a great program!). I don't like most exercise either, but I look forward to lifting.
Click to expand...

Lifting is awesome. Finally getting over the weird part of being one of the few girls in that part of the gym but eh. I'm just really bad at planning my workouts myself, so I take WODs and modify them since I obviously can't do circuits well in the gym. I'll have to take a look at this program and give it a try.
 
Oh gosh, I guess I don't have any excuse to mope and stress out! We have a pool at my college that I'm intending on using as well--I love to swim. And yes, we have a fitness center with all sorts of junk which I'm free to use as long as the varsity team isn't training. No alcohol for me, as I'm on a dry campus and under 21 (hehe). Thanks guys. Guess I just needed the confirmation yet again that other people are as stressed as me but still pull through.
 
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