Stress Management and Coping Skills

[Osteoth]

Lol.

At first in med school everyone is trying to figure out their place in the ecosystem. Eventually everything normalizes and everybody figures out who they are and what they can achieve. Its pretty much the same thing as the first couple years of college, except everyone is 10x smarter.

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[HomeSkool]

I have a 3.94 GPA and I'm a sophomore in College.

Nice!

I work earnestly hard for my grades. I want to take Organic Chemistry I/II over the summer due to financial reasons,

I generally advise against OChem during spring/summer terms simply because those are very intense courses with lots of complex content, and they become even more challenging when compressed into a shortened term. As @Catalystik has pointed out elsewhere, it is possible to take those and do very well, but you have to really dedicate yourself to it and realize that those courses are your summer. So think hard before you pull the trigger on that and make sure you're up to the challenge.

but I feel as though my anxiety may hinder my performance. I aim for 100's, and even when I study I feel anxious which is a distraction---like I can't keep up or meet my goal (my goal is to ace everything so I don't have to worry about the final).

You should always aim for 100s (and you should aim for 528 on the MCAT), but you also have to be OK with falling short of that. You haven't failed if you don't get 100, you've failed if you don't give your best effort.

Anxiety is tricky. You need to have enough anxiety to always be pushing for improvement, but you also have to learn adequate coping strategies so you can make your anxiety productive. Go to your school's counseling or advisement center, where they can help you with coping mechanisms and study helps to keep things in check. If you feel like your anxiety is becoming pathologic, you may need psychological or psychiatric help.

Med school is like drinking from a fire hose, and residency's even worse. But your ability to handle the demands of your training will increase as you develop and deploy your coping strategies. You'll find that your capacity to manage the workload increases right along with the amount and intensity of the demands placed upon you.

 

[deleted862527]

Nice!


I generally advise against OChem during spring/summer terms simply because those are very intense courses with lots of complex content, and they become even more challenging when compressed into a shortened term. As @Catalystik has pointed out elsewhere, it is possible to take those and do very well, but you have to really dedicate yourself to it and realize that those courses are your summer. So think hard before you pull the trigger on that and make sure you're up to the challenge.


You should always aim for 100s (and you should aim for 528 on the MCAT), but you also have to be OK with falling short of that. You haven't failed if you don't get 100, you've failed if you don't give your best effort.

Anxiety is tricky. You need to have enough anxiety to always be pushing for improvement, but you also have to learn adequate coping strategies so you can make your anxiety productive. Go to your school's counseling or advisement center, where they can help you with coping mechanisms and study helps to keep things in check. If you feel like your anxiety is becoming pathologic, you may need psychological or psychiatric help.

Med school is like drinking from a fire hose, and residency's even worse. But your ability to handle the demands of your training will increase as you develop and deploy your coping strategies. You'll find that your capacity to manage the workload increases right along with the amount and intensity of the demands placed upon you.

Thank you for that thorough response!

 

[GoCubsGo20]

You should definitely try and get your anxiety under control before medical school. It'll help a lot and save you from some potential trouble. The pace is tough, but you'll honestly get used to it. After a while it becomes second nature, you do everything you have to do and just accept that the pace sorta sucks.

 

[doc05]

No good reason to take o-chem during the summer, Your GPA is excellent, I assume you can handle it during the regular academic year. As someone else noted, compressing it over a short summer term isn't a great idea.

Instead, do something interesting during the summer - travel, work, research, etc. these things have potential to substantively help your application. And once you are in med school, you'll miss summer breaks.

Good luck

 

[Aerus]

Hey everyone,

my goal is to ace everything so I don't have to worry about the final.

This was me for my finals week where I needed between 20-40% on all my finals to pass the class. It's not a bad thing to have high goals or to want to cruise during finals. What you need is to figure out how to become okay with falling short of your goals when it happens because it WILL happen. We are all human beings trying to do a job and help patients. Be okay with doing just that, then set high goals, and aim as far as you can.

 

[road2residency]

Med school is like drinking from a fire hose, and residency's even worse. But your ability to handle the demands of your training will increase as you develop and deploy your coping strategies. You'll find that your capacity to manage the workload increases right along with the amount and intensity of the demands placed upon you.

I agree with this. For me, part of the key is finding something that keeps you sane and use it as something to reward yourself for hard work. For me, it was YouTube and Video games. I rewarded myself with a video before bed and a gaming session after exams. It worked for me and kept me from going crazy. I also relied on my family for a strong support structure.
Think about it this way: so many people have done it before you and so many are going to do it after you; why can't you?

 

[GoCubsGo20]

I agree with this. For me, part of the key is finding something that keeps you sane and use it as something to reward yourself for hard work. For me, it was YouTube and Video games. I rewarded myself with a video before bed and a gaming session after exams. It worked for me and kept me from going crazy. I also relied on my family for a strong support structure.
Think about it this way: so many people have done it before you and so many are going to do it after you; why can't you?

This is such a valuable mentality to have. I once thought it was some unattainable goal, yet here I am. It's doable, but seems impossible. Yet every doctor has done it.

 

[J ROD]

Just as a side note. If you find your anxiety increasing and getting to the point you can no longer control it. I would suggest considering seeing a therapist to help you learn coping skills. Many athletes do the same thing. Anxiety is something many people suffer from. Most can find their own ways to manage it. But if you can't, it is no shame in asking for help. I know many still have a stigma for getting help for such things or believe I can handle. That's how I end up seeing them in crisis when the depression or anxiety overwhelms them.

 

[deleted862527]

Thank you everyone so much!!!!!

 

[Deranged Medic]

Just as a side note. If you find your anxiety increasing and getting to the point you can no longer control it. I would suggest considering seeing a therapist to help you learn coping skills. Many athletes do the same thing. Anxiety is something many people suffer from. Most can find their own ways to manage it. But if you can't, it is no shame in asking for help. I know many still have a stigma for getting help for such things or believe I can handle. That's how I end up seeing them in crisis when the depression or anxiety overwhelms them.

This. I struggled with anxiety and depression prior to medical school, and it only got worse during my first semester. Going to therapy was the best decision I made, especially since my med school paid for it. If I could give you any advice, I would tell you to be very proactive about getting it under control before you start.