I'm not feeling it.

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KingSaul

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Well hello, Im not sure if I can post this on here!? Delete if not allowed. So, just a small summary on where I am at in my life. I'm currently a Junior (second semester) and currently taking 6 science classes; there isn't much else currently happening lol. In my junior year I haven't been feeling that same motivation and ambition I once had the the last two years. I managed to get through the first semester of my Junior year, god knows how, I ended with 2Bs and the rest As. However, this semester I just feel so overwhelmed and I don't really know what it is. I've felt so unmotivated and I feel like I have no emotions, things like studying, going out with friends, watching/playing soccer.... just don't make me feel happy or excited.

I had thought about going to the doctor but I chicken out and make the excuse of having no time. I really haven't told anyone about this because I'm somewhat conservative about my feelings and just keep it to myself. Any advise? Of course, not medical but maybe as someone who has been in the same situation? How did you get back that motivation?


Thanks to anyone that replies
If any stupid grammar mistakes it is because Im typing with one hand and trying to write with the other (test tomorrow, ugh).
 
Step away from coursework for a bit and see a doctor. Your mental health is the foundation for your personal and professional success. There is no reason to be afraid or ashamed of seeing a doctor regarding possible depression. Just like hypertension, it is a legitimate disease that can be managed if treated properly and is dangerous to ignore.
 
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KingSaul said:
Well hello, Im not sure if I can post this on here!? Delete if not allowed. So, just a small summary on where I am at in my life. I'm currently a Junior (second semester) and currently taking 6 science classes; there isn't much else currently happening lol. In my junior year I haven't been feeling that same motivation and ambition I once had the the last two years. I managed to get through the first semester of my Junior year, god knows how, I ended with 2Bs and the rest As. However, this semester I just feel so overwhelmed and I don't really know what it is. I've felt so unmotivated and I feel like I have no emotions, things like studying, going out with friends, watching/playing soccer.... just don't make me feel happy or excited.

I had thought about going to the doctor but I chicken out and make the excuse of having no time. I really haven't told anyone about this because I'm somewhat conservative about my feelings and just keep it to myself. Any advise? Of course, not medical but maybe as someone who has been in the same situation? How did you get back that motivation?


Thanks to anyone that replies
If any stupid grammar mistakes it is because Im typing with one hand and trying to write with the other (test tomorrow, ugh).
Click to expand...
If the feeling has no underlying reason that you can think of, might want to see the shrink/psychologist/psychiatrist. If you are just feeling meh because college is boring and things just aren't exciting, then welcome to life.

If it's the latter, there comes a point in college and in life when things that you thought would be exciting become boring. I think you just have to keep disciplined and do the things you have to do even if you don't feel it. Most of the time, for example, I don't 'feel' studying, I don't 'feel' like doing research or going to work or even (gasp) volunteering. But I do it out of commitment, discipline, you name it.

Ignore my post if you think you have depression. In that case, do what you have to do. Go to your school psychologist.
 
First, I would encourage you to reach out and talk to someone about your anhedonia and feelings of apathy. It can definitely be tough to share, but things may only get worse if you let this go unchecked.

I was also super unmotivated by the second semester of my Junior year. Balancing a tough course load, research, extracurriculars, MCAT studying, it was overwhelming and I felt like giving up more than once. It seemed like I could not stay focused for more than five minutes without getting frustrated and burned out. I wish I would have reached out to someone at the counseling center, but I didn't.

How did I get through it? A healthy dose of discipline, and being kinder to myself. Allowing myself to take more frequent breaks, forcing myself to engage in my hobbies even if I didn't feel like it/didn't have time, and talking with family and friends about everything. I kind of took a "fake it til you make it" approach to motivation and happiness. I eventually got though it, but I will say by the time I graduated I was beyond ready to take time off.

My best advice is don't just muddle through-make some changes now so this doesn't derail you from your goals.
 
Sounds like you're burned out... why did you decide to overload on classes this semester? Try to finish up strong this semester and maybe take the summer off to relax. I think you need a break man. And I second the advice above about seeking a professional
 
DrRiker said:
Step away from coursework for a bit and see a doctor. Your mental health is the foundation for your personal and professional success. There is no reason to be afraid or ashamed of seeing a doctor regarding possible depression. Just like hypertension, it is a legitimate disease that can be managed if treated properly and is dangerous to ignore.
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Will do🙂
 
panbimbo said:
If the feeling has no underlying reason that you can think of, might want to see the shrink/psychologist/psychiatrist. If you are just feeling meh because college is boring and things just aren't exciting, then welcome to life.

If it's the latter, there comes a point in college and in life when things that you thought would be exciting become boring. I think you just have to keep disciplined and do the things you have to do even if you don't feel it. Most of the time, for example, I don't 'feel' studying, I don't 'feel' like doing research or going to work or even (gasp) volunteering. But I do it out of commitment, discipline, you name it.

Ignore my post if you think you have depression. In that case, do what you have to do. Go to your school psychologist.
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Thank you for the reply, I will keep it in mind 🙂
 
boundlesscorpuscle said:
First, I would encourage you to reach out and talk to someone about your anhedonia and feelings of apathy. It can definitely be tough to share, but things may only get worse if you let this go unchecked.

I was also super unmotivated by the second semester of my Junior year. Balancing a tough course load, research, extracurriculars, MCAT studying, it was overwhelming and I felt like giving up more than once. It seemed like I could not stay focused for more than five minutes without getting frustrated and burned out. I wish I would have reached out to someone at the counseling center, but I didn't.

How did I get through it? A healthy dose of discipline, and being kinder to myself. Allowing myself to take more frequent breaks, forcing myself to engage in my hobbies even if I didn't feel like it/didn't have time, and talking with family and friends about everything. I kind of took a "fake it til you make it" approach to motivation and happiness. I eventually got though it, but I will say by the time I graduated I was beyond ready to take time off.

My best advice is don't just muddle through-make some changes now so this doesn't derail you from your goals.
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Thank you, in the past semesters I would see each class and semester like a challenge that I needed to overcome and thats how I would tackle each semester. I will certainly keep your advice in mind.
 
chemdoctor said:
Sounds like you're burned out... why did you decide to overload on classes this semester? Try to finish up strong this semester and maybe take the summer off to relax. I think you need a break man. And I second the advice above about seeking a professional
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I didn't tho, I have 16 hours which Ive taken that amount before (also took 18 hrs once) but its probably because I have O.Chem2, Biochem,and 2 adv cell bio classes. I will certainly try to rest this coming spring break but I know that some of my professors will leave an assignment.
 
KingSaul said:
I didn't tho, I have 16 hours which Ive taken that amount before (also took 18 hrs once) but its probably because I have O.Chem2, Biochem,and 2 adv cell bio classes. I will certainly try to rest this coming spring break but I know that some of my professors will leave an assignment.
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Yeah sometimes it's not about how many credits... It's about the classes themselves. Ochem 2 at the same time as Biochem? Huh... interesting... both are considered to be "hard" classes that require time. Same for Cell Bio...

Yeah I have to study over spring break too lol... it's fine... just pace yourself man
 
This sounds like a depressive episode. If it persists for too long, definitely seek professional help
 
I was shocked reading this post because it literally felt like my exact story. Took the MCAT this past summer and ever since my junior year started I've been feeling the exact same. It really sucks because you don't feel like yourself at all, definitely not the person you were the first two years of college. Wish I had something else to say but just know there are other people like you and you're not the only one to go through this. I have a doctor's appointment coming up cause I thought it was necessary. Don't wait until it's too late; take action now.

Hope you get better, wish you the best.
 
Probably stress overload. Reduce stress in as many ways as you can. If you’re an athlete, back off. Get more sleep. If you’re really strict on your eating, be a little less strict. Like others have said it’s good to talk to someone too.
 
Six science classes takes up a lot of time. The most I did was four and that wasn't fun.
In addition to burnout, you're probably not getting as much out of those courses as you would have if you took only half of them at a time so that could be another issue. When you thoroughly enjoy a course, the odds that you lose your motivation are slim. I would find it very hard to believe you are genuinely happy with your schedule.

You don't sound like you need a doctor at this very moment. Everybody feels down from time to time due to their present circumstances and feels like they are losing motivation. I think the immediate thing you need to do is to get some time back for yourself. If that involves dropping some coursework, then that's what you might need to do.

Humans can only do so much. You have to recognize where your upper limits are.
 
Mike Bagwell said:
Six science classes takes up a lot of time. The most I did was four and that wasn't fun.
In addition to burnout, you're probably not getting as much out of those courses as you would have if you took only half of them at a time so that could be another issue. When you thoroughly enjoy a course, the odds that you lose your motivation are slim. I would find it very hard to believe you are genuinely happy with your schedule.

You don't sound like you need a doctor at this very moment. Everybody feels down from time to time due to their present circumstances and feels like they are losing motivation. I think the immediate thing you need to do is to get some time back for yourself. If that involves dropping some coursework, then that's what you might need to do.

Humans can only do so much. You have to recognize where your upper limits are.
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I respectfully disagree. OP listed some classic symptoms of depression. They may not require intervention at this moment, but that is for a physician to decide. The conversation should start now, just like how the conversation about diabetes should start before a patient presents with neurologic or ophthalmic complications.
 
He may need one or may not. I would definitely talk to someone, but keep in mind it’s MOST likely stress. We are all under a lot of stress and it ends up being too much at times.

I was getting really sick and borderline suicidal (started having thoughts, never got to the actual point of considering it) but I recognized something was wrong. when I was working nights, going to school, and volunteering, I had to readjust.

Mind you I had been working nights for 3 years, hardly ever getting more than 4 hours of sleep a night, managing my farm at times when my mother needed help, working 48 hrs a week, taking a full college course load, checking on my elderly grandma in the hospital, training powerlifting, and volunteering just enough to keep my gig at the coroners office.


It was too much. A month ago, one month into going to days I started feeling MUCH better. I’m pretty happy most of the time now.
 
I think shadowing a physician is one of the best ways to overcome burn out. It's nice to get a reminder of why you are grinding hard in the first place.
 
RNtoMD87 said:
He may need one or may not. I would definitely talk to someone, but keep in mind it’s MOST likely stress. We are all under a lot of stress and it ends up being too much at times.

I was getting really sick and borderline suicidal (started having thoughts, never got to the actual point of considering it) but I recognized something was wrong. when I was working nights, going to school, and volunteering, I had to readjust.

Mind you I had been working nights for 3 years, hardly ever getting more than 4 hours of sleep a night, managing my farm at times when my mother needed help, working 48 hrs a week, taking a full college course load, checking on my elderly grandma in the hospital, training powerlifting, and volunteering just enough to keep my gig at the coroners office.


It was too much. A month ago, one month into going to days I started feeling MUCH better. I’m pretty happy most of the time now.
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This is a great example of how different people can react to stress in very different ways. I don't believe the OP is describing anywhere near the same feelings or symptoms as you have described during your time of stress.

We are more than capable of fixing ourselves before we need to seek help. I think OP should make the effort to fix himself first since it appears that this is a stress-related issue and if that fails then he or she is more than free to go get some medical advice. SDN is not the place to be seeking unsolicited medical advice being that this is an anonymous forum.
 
It sounds a lot like mine to me. I used to do nothing but lay in bed with the lights off when I did have free time and got to where I hated seeing sunlight or people. Some days I was on the floor I dreaded having to interact with patients.

No activities gave me pleasure, and life seemed pointless. I still believe he should go talk to someone, and reduce stress at the same time where possible. Perhaps finish out this semester then take less course load next semester.

Us suggesting he should see a doctor isn’t unsolicited. Did you read the first post? “I know I should see a doctor but I chicken out”. He’s wanting that push to go see a doctor, which wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.
 
RNtoMD87 said:
It sounds a lot like mine to me. I used to do nothing but lay in bed with the lights off when I did have free time and got to where I hated seeing sunlight or people. Some days I was on the floor I dreaded having to interact with patients.

No activities gave me pleasure, and life seemed pointless. I still believe he should go talk to someone, and reduce stress at the same time where possible. Perhaps finish out this semester then take less course load next semester.

Us suggesting he should see a doctor isn’t unsolicited. Did you read the first post? “I know I should see a doctor but I chicken out”. He’s wanting that push to go see a doctor, which wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.
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I'm not going to get into a back and forth with you on this matter but you can't take every person who says they are feeling stressed out and label them suicidal and then go tell them to seek medical attention which may or may not complicate the situation further. That's not how it works. The OP has said NOTHING about being suicidal or wanting to harm themselves so you don't need to jump the gun and assume the worst just because you had a different reaction to similar circumstances.

The problem appears to be a heavy course load and that is easily remedied by reducing workload and freeing up time. The OP clearly states...
KingSaul said:
I just feel so overwhelmed and I don't really know what it is.
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The OP first needs to address the "overwhelmed" feeling first.

I don't think you are qualified to be deciding if anybody should be seeing a doctor for mental health issues because they posted something onto SDN so I would be very cautious with that in the future especially if you are trying to pursue this field as a career. Let the OP figure this one out and I'm positive he or she will resolve this matter on their own WITHOUT you or anybody else labeling them as something other than just being stressed out.
 
As a nurse? Yeah I’m totally qualified to tell someone to go get medical help.

He doesn’t need to be suicidal to want to go get help. I went three years down that road before I even got NEAR that point. It’s best to address it sooner. What do you have against going to a GP and just saying “yeah I feel a little down and this is my situation”?

I didn’t say he wasn’t just stressed out. But I had actual physical problems too. Severe Vitamin D deficiency, severe GERD, etc. what’s wrong with getting a check up? Vit D supplementation was one of the most effective remedies for me. Also I never specified mental health. I am talking about general health. I am a very holistic minded person. Can’t stand how they load people up on psychotropics and sNRIs. But this stress can have physical manifestations on your body.
 
I have been in similar situations. I think you should see someone and try to finish this semester strong and then take this summer and spring break to get some rest and remind yourself why you do all of this - why you want to be a physician. Recognize that it's normal to struggle, but reach out to help yourself get to a better place. Try - if possible - to not let your grades slip so you dont have to explain that come admissions time.
 
No need to argue guys. I did an appointment with my doc and I also have been drinking tea (yerba mate) to help reduce my stress. I also plan to go running every Friday evening to get some physical activity in my schedule.

I hope that this post will help others that are going through the same. 🙂
 
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