How to maintain good boundaries/mental health during MS-2 (Board prep)

[cooldown]

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I am experiencing some recurrent thoughts (negative) regarding some reflections on some bad experiences- in the end, it was about keeping good boundaries for my own mental health.

What have you done to remind yourself that you are 80K+ in debt and can't afford to screw up non-matching, etc?

One thing I found helpful was starting and ending my day EARLY - the early morning hours are peaceful for my brain and gives me the confidence once 8am rolls around that I'm going good on my goal s for the day

 

[libertyyne]

You should go see a professional.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Exercise.


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[Goro]

Practice mindfulness techniques. Plus what the above wise posts recommend.

 

[afib123]

It's tough man. But you gotta do it unless you are going to take a LOA. Know it's temporary. You will have bad days once in a while but that's ok. Take some time off in the evenings. Meditate. Go to the library where you are surrounded by a lot of people (helps me to be amongst other people than myself in a room).
If nothing works, see a psychiatrist.

 

[cooldown]

You should go see a professional.

done that, and i appreciate your suggestion so much. The intention of my post was to connect with others who are in the same or been in same position and get some encouragement and feel supported.

 

[cooldown]

I think it was just a matter of keeping focus, being aware of things that will cause upset and keep as far away from them as possible or schedule specific time for them basedon what's best for my prep schedule...

 

[ortnakas]

I am experiencing some recurrent thoughts (negative) regarding some reflections on some bad experiences- in the end, it was about keeping good boundaries for my own mental health.

What have you done to remind yourself that you are 80K+ in debt and can't afford to screw up non-matching, etc?

My best mental health advice is to NOT remind yourself of this on a daily basis. Set smart, measurable, achievable goals, like finish and review X number of Uworld questions shooting for Y% correct and review Z topics in pathoma/sketchy/book of choice. Worrying about matching 2+ years from now instead of worrying about studying today is getting ahead of yourself.

Also, don’t give up on exercise or sleep. No, don’t sleep until 10 every day, but there’s a point of tiredness where studying has diminished returns and sleep will do you more good. Don’t go past that point

Edit: fixed weird autocorrects

 

[cooldown]

Thank you so much! Yes...very true about getting ahead of yourself.

 

[NickNaylor]

It's important to remember that while step 1 is important, it's simply one aspect of your residency application and, in the big scheme of things, it ultimately isn't all that important. You are also only human and can only do so much. You aren't a robot that can just digest endless amounts of information.

My step 1 score was about 20 points lower than I was expecting based on my scores on practice tests leading up to my exam date. I was extremely disappointed at the time even though I scored above the national mean. In retrospect, I think I was just incredibly anxious and inflated the importance of step 1 because it's something that you have a lot of control over in a sea of things that you have no control over.

As long as you don't fail, everything will be fine in the end.

 

[docbsb2015]

Agree with the above. <220 Step 1 and I am a DO who just went on my 12th anesthesia interview. It's just one part of your app. Don't get too anxious and just do the best you can in school.

 

[GoinHardenYaHoe]

Exercise.


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So true. Whenever I'm feeling down, I just go to the court and sauce on some fools- always makes me feel better (srs)

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

So true. Whenever I'm feeling down, I just go to the court and sauce on some fools- always makes me feel better (srs)

I envy people their ability to play sports… I never got the hang of it. My exercise has always been just on my own. Treadmill etc.


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[Frogger27]

So true. Whenever I'm feeling down, I just go to the court and sauce on some fools- always makes me feel better (srs)

You must have been feeling pretty down yesterday to go drop 61 points on those fools in the Garden last night

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

See a professional. And not in the “SDN is not for medical advice” way - like actually see one. Most insurance will cover it. I freaking love my therapist. Someone who I can complain to for a hour free of charge with no restrictions? Maybe get some coping advice on the side from someone who’s been doing this for years? Sign me up.

Also I took every Sunday off. Period. No questions asked. That really helped.

 

[puahate]

Exercise.


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Specially powerlifting

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Specially powerlifting

do you have some kind of obsession with telling me about powerlifting? you’ve told me that multiple times on different threads, despite my clear indication that I’m not interested and never will be. if it’s just a recurrent joke, that’s fine, but it’s weirding me out.


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[cooldown]

See a professional. And not in the “SDN is not for medical advice” way - like actually see one. Most insurance will cover it. I freaking love my therapist. Someone who I can complain to for a hour free of charge with no restrictions? Maybe get some coping advice on the side from someone who’s been doing this for years? Sign me up.

Also I took every Sunday off. Period. No questions asked. That really helped.

I reconnected with a therapist that I "loved" from the past - put months into it and it sucked. She wasn't as good. I found another therapist near school/campus/home but she was terrible (my own opinion) and not very good. So kind of wary of it. But YOU ARE RIGHT, dont' give up.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I reconnected with a therapist that I "loved" from the past - put months into it and it sucked. She wasn't as good. I found another therapist near school/campus/home but she was terrible (my own opinion) and not very good. So kind of wary of it. But YOU ARE RIGHT, dont' give up.

Yea, like any other healthcare professional, therapists/psychologists are not all the same. Do your research.

I found mine by asking my PCP for a couple names. Researched their credentials online, called the offices, and picked the one with the least availability (aka the most in demand).

 

[KK357]

Agree with all of the above. It also helps to remember that you are already in medical school, which means you are already far ahead of most of the population. If you can dial in a few factors, like regular sleep, exercise, meditation, water, and sunlight, it can make all the difference.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Agree with all of the above. It also helps to remember that you are already in medical school, which means you are already far ahead of most of the population. If you can dial in a few factors, like regular sleep, exercise, meditation, water, and sunlight, it can make all the difference.

If that’s your actual picture I suggest changing it for anonymity purposes.