How do you prevent burn-out?

[pinkcadillac]

My med school has class from 8-3pm most days. Usually I try to go the library right after lecture to study for the rest of the day but lately I have been getting burned out when I study immediately after lecture. Should I take an hour break before studying? Would this make me more effective at studying?

Thanks!

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[Phyozo]

My med school has class from 8-3pm most days. Usually I try to go the library right after lecture to study for the rest of the day but lately I have been getting burned out when I study immediately after lecture. Should I take an hour break before studying? Would this make me more effective at studying?

Thanks!

Can you skip class? If so, you're going to have to decide whether you're getting more out of those 7 hours than if you were to study by yourself. For the majority of my classmates, the answer was no. Most of us opted to stop going to class and instead listened to the lectures from home at 1.5-2x speed. This allows you to make multiple passes at the material, which is what you really need to memorize it. It also gives you enough time in the evening to rest and do something for fun (which ultimately is what prevents burn-out).

 

[Ischiowhat]

lubrication

 

[Abby_Normal]

Some people study best with marathon sessions and others by breaking it up. If studying nonstop all day hasn't been working for you, you should definitely try taking a break after lecture. If you do take a break, try to make it meaningful--do something you find distracting/relaxing. The important thing is not to let yourself feel guilty--spending your entire break thinking "I should be studying" will probably negate its recharging effects and may leave you even more burnt out than you were to begin with (I've had problems with this).

If the burnout is a recent thing, I would also consider how much sunlight you're getting. It's the middle of winter and being in a lecture hall from 8-3 means that you don't get very much daylight (at least that's the case in the Northeast, where I am). Try studying by windows, or invest in a sunlamp.

Finally, if the burnout starts to really worry you, talk to student affairs. To state the obvious, burnout is a common problem among medical students, so they should be able to offer you some advice.

 

[Asp]

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Also, take 5000 IU Vitamin D qday during the winter months.

 

[katiesb]

I would definitely take a break if I were you! A little time to relax and recharge makes my study sessions much more efficient! I use study breaks to go to the grocery store, shower, clean, work out (OK and occasionally watch TV)

 

[TAWS]

Have you considered studying less? I think people will be amazed that they can maintain the same grade even if they cut their studying time in half.

 

[winkleweizen]

sex?

 

[tiedyeddog]

8-3? That sucks hard. I only podcast... so I spend maybe two hours at most watching lecture at double speed. I want to kill myself when I have to actually sit there and watch a lecture, damn.

 

[Valadi]

Skip class. Frequent weekend vacations to Miami.

 

[Uisa]

I would experiment with not going to class. Really ask yourself if it's worth it - if you're going to have to listen to it again and study the material all over, is it efficient to go to class 8-3pm and then study the rest of the day? Or do you think it makes sense to just learn the material on your own, at your own pace, whenever you want to?

If burn out is the issue I would try not going to class and learning it on your own. Then again, if you do get a lot out of going to class then perhaps you don't need to study as much during the night...

 

[D elegans]

 

[pinkcadillac]

To all the people suggesting skipping class, we don't have podcasts available so I can't watch the lectures at 2x the speed. However, the note service club does provide MP3s for each class and the scribes are due 3 days after each lecture. I don't like listening to MP3s and taking notes. And I can't wait 3 days for the scribes to come out or I'll fall behind. So attending class is my only option....I wish my school streamed lectures though

 

[Kevin Baker]

Work out. 30 minutes of working out gives me the energy to go 4 hrs straight of real studying.

 

[MrBeauregard]

To all the people suggesting skipping class, we don't have podcasts available so I can't watch the lectures at 2x the speed. However, the note service club does provide MP3s for each class and the scribes are due 3 days after each lecture. I don't like listening to MP3s and taking notes. And I can't wait 3 days for the scribes to come out or I'll fall behind. So attending class is my only option....I wish my school streamed lectures though

Do you take notes while you attend class? If so there is really no difference, with a few major exceptions:

1. You can sit in the comfort of your own home.
2. You can pause the lecture at any time, rewind, then restart in case you missed something. That's tough to do in real time.
3. You can open texts and follow along as the lecture progresses. If you can't remember something from last block, pause the lecture, look it up, resume.
4. If you speed up the lecture you'll save vast amounts of time.

I went to class religiously all last year. I felt guilty when I didn't go. I've stopped going this year and I can't believe the amount of extra time I have to make multiple passes at material, sometimes in the same day. By the time Saturday and Sunday roll around I may be on my 4th pass of some lectures.

It's easy to burn out with so much lecture. My school actually thinks it's cool to give us lecture from 9-5 or 8-4 roughly 3-4x per week, so I feel your pain. I think you need to experiment with not going to class for a few days and see if you can hack it. If you end up not being able to do it, I would suggest this you take a nice hour break after class to do something you enjoy that in no way involves school. Maybe go to the gym and get some exercise, play a video game, play a musical instrument, paint, whatever, just do something that lets your brain rest.

 

[bassvp]

Just a question for all you non-classgoers....are there any classes that you would recommend going to in person rather than watching video later? Anatomy lecture before afternoon anatomy lab?

 

[D elegans]

Just a question for all you non-classgoers....are there any classes that you would recommend going to in person rather than watching video later? Anatomy lecture before afternoon anatomy lab?

Whether or not to go to a class is dependent on how you learn information and the ability of the particular instructor to teach. I would recommend attending all classes at the beginning and finding what works for you.

 

[Kadava Reviva]

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Also, take 5000 IU Vitamin D qday during the winter months.

That's an enormous amount!

 

[dr zaius]

Just a question for all you non-classgoers....are there any classes that you would recommend going to in person rather than watching video later? Anatomy lecture before afternoon anatomy lab?

Previewing the material thoroughly before lab was helpful. Lectures not so much. Unless you're in an integrative curriculum the instructor basically goes through images pointing out the structures, giving basic functions (what the muscle does, etc) and maybe some common pathology.

 

[FunnyCurrent]

I'm starting to feel burned out too... and I'm a first year. This is going to be a long long journey

 

[Ironheme]

Just a question for all you non-classgoers....are there any classes that you would recommend going to in person rather than watching video later? Anatomy lecture before afternoon anatomy lab?

The ones that:

A. Lecturer is excellent and explains the material better than what's already on the lecture notes (you'd be surprised at how many lecturers make the material MORE confusing).

B. Is a topic you feel like you'd get a lot of lecture. For me that's anatomy, just so I can hear the terms, and get familiar with the topic, though I have skipped anatomy class since it's basically point at the structure and learn its function + things related to it.

Our school doesn't have video/etc either, but posts the lecture notes. Yes, I do miss some things. On the other hand, like one of the other posters said:

1. I'm a lot more focused/recharged/able to study (9-5 classes were draining on my energy levels and then trying to study after was a no go)

2. I have a lot more free time now. I've been able to go over the material twice, and I am not held hostage by a lecturer that feels going 10-15 minutes over the scheduled time is no problem just because they wasted 10-15 minutes in the beginning fiddling with the projector/computer/didn't pace themselves appropriately, and feel 80 slides in 40 minutes of dense material is the correct amount.

 

[drfamilymed]

OK, not cocaine...what about exercise, study breaks every 2 hours. Sex is great stress relief. Surf the web on humor websites. Read for pleasure. Get a hobby. Relax, deep breaths, yoga.