Stress Coping Techniques

[Caffeine91]

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Hi so I am a pre-med, and I get stressed as heck over the dumbest things and I need someone to talk some sense into me. I have been seeing a Dr. for anxiety, and have been trying to cope with exercise.

I find school easy, and have a 4.0 (since I started trying), and a 38-40 MCAT.

However, dumb things stress me out to no end. For example, I am overly afraid that I will like have a 'panic attack' (which I have had a couple of times in the past) during one of my finals, and thus not be able to finish, and not graduate this semester. Then I won't be able to finish my degree because I wont have the money for another semester.

The stress just snowballs, and I know its irrational.

What are some good coping mechanisms, can someone help talk some sense into me to get out of this funk? I used to be stoic

 

[Aubrey Graham]

Cut the caffeine. Trust me, you will sleep better, have more energy, and lower blood pressure. It might take a month to get used to but you will not regret it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[karayaa]

...have you actually taken the MCAT, or is that your practice score?

Google stress coping mechanisms - you need to find something that works for you. Just because we're all pre-meds doesn't mean that we experience/deal with stress the same way.

Personally, I prefer to eat, exercise, do something with my hands or my mind, express feelings to friends, volunteer, look for silver linings and a higher meaning in life events.

FYI no one should be stoic, if you mean to use that word accurately.
It's not healthy, especially not for doctors.

 

[Caffeine91]

...have you actually taken the MCAT, or is that your practice score?

Google stress coping mechanisms - you need to find something that works for you. Just because we're all pre-meds doesn't mean that we experience/deal with stress the same way.

Personally, I prefer to eat, exercise, do something with my hands or my mind, express feelings to friends, volunteer, look for silver linings and a higher meaning in life events.

FYI no one should be stoic, if you mean to use that word accurately.
It's not healthy, especially not for doctors.

Its a real score. But writing that MCAT was pure hell lol with stress

I have to be doing something productive, like studying. My body's version of relaxation is 'stress'

 

[kangarooo]

God I wish I knew. I've started seeing a therapist and my doctor has me down for "anxiety" on the charts... I'm seeing my doc soon for a follow-up.

 

[WillburCobb]

...or yoga, meditation/mindfulness, running, exercise, music if you're into that whole "health" thing.

 

[Caffeine91]

I exercise (weights) 7 Days a week.

It's just these irrational fears or I'd be home free!
Like how do I get through finals without "not graduating" lol. I have a low cGPA because I wasn't focused as a freshman, but now I am so afraid of blowing my 4.0 streak

 

[altblue]

Definitely talk to a therapist, but build healthy, effective habits too. I don't know if any of these things apply to you, but if you work/study beyond your comfort level, sleep inadequately, eat terribly, rarely exercise, or don't have much time for fun/friends, you'll find it difficult to deal with stress (unless you've won the happiness genetic lottery or something) and will probably be unhappy. Happy, relaxed people are, well, happy and relaxed and not stressed because they're extremely good at keeping track of their needs like those. I'm still trying to learn these things too, lol, but it may just be common sense, who knows?

Also, I may feel, after excercising, in an okay or "meh" mood, but I'm almost always not in a bad mood.

 

[Caffeine91]

Definitely talk to a therapist, but build healthy, effective habits too. I don't know if any of these things apply to you, but if you work/study beyond your comfort level, sleep inadequately, eat terribly, rarely exercise, or don't have much time for fun/friends, you'll find it difficult to deal with stress (unless you've won the happiness genetic lottery or something) and will probably be unhappy. Happy, relaxed people are, well, happy and relaxed and not stressed because they're extremely good at keeping track of their needs like those. I'm still trying to learn these things too, lol, but it may just be common sense, who knows?

Also, I may feel, after excercising, in an okay or "meh" mood, but I'm almost always not in a bad mood.

Exercise is amazing, I just wish I didn't have so many irrational fears

 

[karayaa]

Exercise is amazing, I just wish I didn't have so many irrational fears

Have you tried thought experiments? Imagine the worst outcome, and accept it. Embrace it. Determine how you will respond and continue to live your life.
In the past, I was super anxious about the outcome of tests, applications, etc - I catastrophized and assumed that my life - and myself - would be a failure if certain outcomes didn't materialize. I had to resign myself to the possibility of a bad outcome before I could overcome my anxiety.

 

[altitudinarian]

There are a multitude of stress-coping mechanisms, and depending on the type of stress, what your mind, body, and spirit is attuned to, and what you can manage to do at first to build a foundation will guide you on what mechanisms will work best.

You say you used to be a Stoic, but in what sense? I'm slowly immersing myself into the lifestyle of Stoicism, and I'd recommend going over to modernstoicism.com and checking out their Stoic Week Handbook 2014. Has many meditations that can help, and thoughts you can think of throughout the day, and an emotion and thought record journal that'll help you figure out why you're stressed, angry, sad, etc. in certain situations. Shane Parrish's list of Stoic sources will also be good: http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/04/the-stoic-reading-list/

Other than that, I suggest if you're available to receive therapy, maybe a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) program might help, for its main purpose is to train thoughts to influence the bodily reactions. There is a book called Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman that is an 8-week program of Mindfulness CBT; a combination of meditation and the CBT protocols. It'll get your feet wet and provide a good foundation in developing a meditation habit. There are also self-guided programs out there for CBT, but I forget the websites I saw them on. edX has a course called The Science of Happiness that goes over various stress-coping mechanisms as well. There is an app that works on the computer, Android, and Apple called Stop, Breathe, Think that gives you meditations to do based on the emotional state(s) you give it; I've found this quite useful as well. Moreover, books by Thich Nnat Hanh are quite enlightening, and are religiously neutral; as in, you can apply his tidbits to your life despite not being connected to Buddhism or some other major religion.

To add to this or try something different, exercise is amazing, particularly yoga, running, lifting, dance... Any type of movement that challenges not only your body, but your mind to stretch. If you're into aromatherapy, this can definitely help you; I know a friend who would spray certain scents depending on when she had exams, papers, interviews, general stress, for she trained her body to take in the scents and de-stress for a bit. Keeping a journal and recording thoughts can help in seeing patterns and knowing how to tackle them. Check out Leo Babauta's Zen Habits website; simplicity in life can go a long way.

Hope this helps!

 

[deleted388502]

Perspective can go a long way. A strong support system is what keeps me sane with a personality type very similar to what you're describing.

They call me out on my **** when I can't call myself out, and after a while you just start realizing how mundane stressing over a score or academic related things is.

Continually reminding yourself of the bigger picture. At least, that's what works for me.

 

[FutureFACS]

There are a multitude of stress-coping mechanisms, and depending on the type of stress, what your mind, body, and spirit is attuned to, and what you can manage to do at first to build a foundation will guide you on what mechanisms will work best.

You say you used to be a Stoic, but in what sense? I'm slowly immersing myself into the lifestyle of Stoicism, and I'd recommend going over to modernstoicism.com and checking out their Stoic Week Handbook 2014. Has many meditations that can help, and thoughts you can think of throughout the day, and an emotion and thought record journal that'll help you figure out why you're stressed, angry, sad, etc. in certain situations. Shane Parrish's list of Stoic sources will also be good: http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/04/the-stoic-reading-list/

Other than that, I suggest if you're available to receive therapy, maybe a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) program might help, for its main purpose is to train thoughts to influence the bodily reactions. There is a book called Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman that is an 8-week program of Mindfulness CBT; a combination of meditation and the CBT protocols. It'll get your feet wet and provide a good foundation in developing a meditation habit. There are also self-guided programs out there for CBT, but I forget the websites I saw them on. edX has a course called The Science of Happiness that goes over various stress-coping mechanisms as well. There is an app that works on the computer, Android, and Apple called Stop, Breathe, Think that gives you meditations to do based on the emotional state(s) you give it; I've found this quite useful as well. Moreover, books by Thich Nnat Hanh are quite enlightening, and are religiously neutral; as in, you can apply his tidbits to your life despite not being connected to Buddhism or some other major religion.

To add to this or try something different, exercise is amazing, particularly yoga, running, lifting, dance... Any type of movement that challenges not only your body, but your mind to stretch. If you're into aromatherapy, this can definitely help you; I know a friend who would spray certain scents depending on when she had exams, papers, interviews, general stress, for she trained her body to take in the scents and de-stress for a bit. Keeping a journal and recording thoughts can help in seeing patterns and knowing how to tackle them. Check out Leo Babauta's Zen Habits website; simplicity in life can go a long way.

Hope this helps!

This is interesting, I am curious about stoicism, but it seems very 'negative.' I myself have always been keen on positive thinking and creative visualization. I wonder if there is any philosophy that combines the 'headstrong' nature of stoicism with that of positive thinking/meditating.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Hot showers.
Video games.
Yoga.
Benzodiazapines.

 

[FutureSurgical]

Hey OP, just wanted to let you know I was in a similar boat as you. I had depression for 4 years (2 in high school and 2 in college) but sought help for it. This is something that you should seek help for professionally. Trust me when I say that I am happy that I stuck with it because it took some time for it to work. I still get depressive thoughts but they are no where near where I was at the end of my sophomore year. Best thing is, is that I am not on medication, which is what I feared I would be dependent on.

Even if it's a chemical imbalance, you CAN NOT go to medical school under that much stress with this kind of problem.

 

[Kochanie]

OP, I have really bad anxiety as well, I didn't even know that I had panic attacks or what anxiety was until college. Unlike most people that get stressed the more work they do, I freak out and freeze IF I have work to do which causes me to...well not do it. I like to distract myself, but honestly, not much else has helped besides having a routine (sleep + healthy food).

 

[altitudinarian]

This is interesting, I am curious about stoicism, but it seems very 'negative.' I myself have always been keen on positive thinking and creative visualization. I wonder if there is any philosophy that combines the 'headstrong' nature of stoicism with that of positive thinking/meditating.

At first it might seem negative because it seems there is so much about managing emotions, but it really boils down to changing attitude, perception, to be more positive in the sense that you realize what is within your control and what is not. What is in a person's control, his thoughts, his behaviors, his words, are what Stoicism focuses on developing in virtue. Everything else, such as occupation, circumstances, etc. are seen as out of one's control, so why worry? Though there is some tug and pull when it comes to how Stoics "manage" emotions; some people argue for more stringiness, others more leniency. In the end though, it's all about looking at your emotions, asking yourself why you feel this way, and determine, "Are these emotions coming from a place I can control/figure out? Or is it something that I have no control over?"

I suggest reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Both are highly noted for their well-accepted views on Stoic living, and are rarely viewed as "negative" Stoic explanations.

 

[crossfit4lyfe]

I exercise (weights) 7 Days a week.

It's just these irrational fears or I'd be home free!
Like how do I get through finals without "not graduating" lol. I have a low cGPA because I wasn't focused as a freshman, but now I am so afraid of blowing my 4.0 streak

Take it easy on the lifting. You need to give your muscles time to heal otherwise you are just destroying your muscles with lactic acid. I am a powerlifter, and I lift 4 days a week, cardio 4 days, and have 2 rest days. It's counter-productive to lift every day.

Other than that, go talk to someone! I think that was the most helpful for me when I had stress/anxiety problems a few years ago. And quitting caffeine absolutely.