Stress management tips?

[JoeKing]

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What kind of ways do you guys deal with the pressures of being a premed? More importantly what is your plan to deal with the stress of medical school and residency? I currently exercise frequently to deal with stress; but I was wondering what worked for others

 

[Ismet]

Have a life and activities that you like to do outside of school and outside of the pre-med world of volunteering/shadowing/etc. Play a sport, join a club, play an instrument, or just hang out with your friends. Get enough sleep. Make a schedule.

 

[Lya]

Exercise. Jogging. Listen to music. Orchestra. Eat chocolates. Make fondue. Stare at a picture of a house at Malibu, California. Daydream.

 

[The Buff OP]

Obviously, I bodybuild, but it helps me take out anger and relieve stress. Cardio is also good for me, since it's boring my mind wanders off into a meditated state. 👍

 

[JoeKing]

I lift frequently too its awesome, however, I hardly have more than 45 minutes a day to spend in the gym anymore which sucks. I really like the advice about daydreaming- I do that as well to take my mind off things! I just get so stressed about upcoming tests and due dates that it really gets me down.

 

[deleted436726]

Copious amounts of sex and masturbation. I'm not even kidding.

 

[The Buff OP]

I lift frequently too its awesome, however, I hardly have more than 45 minutes a day to spend in the gym anymore which sucks. I really like the advice about daydreaming- I do that as well to take my mind off things! I just get so stressed about upcoming tests and due dates that it really gets me down.

I hear yah. This summer instead of having fun I was just getting stressed with my EMT classes. Not because the material was hard, it was rather simple. But the test were never about the chapters I would read, you never knew what was going to be in the test.
Write down a schedule and find time when to workout even if it is late night workout. I workout late. Well I'm off to the gym.

 

[Person0715]

I make sure to have some time to myself everyday doing whatever and just relaxing.

 

[The Buff OP]

Copious amounts of sex and masturbation. I'm not even kidding.

How old are you?

 

[protego]

Netflix. I don't recommend getting started though because you will never stop.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

How old are you?

A resident, now an attending doc, once told me the best way to relax amd relieve stress the night before a test is a good meal followed by good intercourse.

 

[deleted562324]

Mindfulness meditation. There is evidence in the scientific literature supporting the effectiveness in lowering stress and generally improving psychological health. Plus, it's free and can be done anywhere/anytime.

 

[The Buff OP]

A resident, now an attending doc, once told me the best way to relax amd relieve stress the night before a test is a good meal followed by good intercourse.

I know sexual intercourse can reduce stress. I was referring to the masturbating part.

 

[Mel Belle]

I know sexual intercourse can reduce stress. I was referring to the masturbating part.

Yeah. It wasn't so much what that guy said (it's accurate) but how he said it. 🙄

 

[Doudline]

I know sexual intercourse can reduce stress. I was referring to the masturbating part.

A simple Google search will yield you dozens of results for sources and studies proving that masturbation is a highly efficient stress reliever (probably just as much as intercourses, really).

 

[Strudel19]

Two words: Pocket P*ssy

 

[The Buff OP]

I guess you guy's are right. I went too conservative. 🙂

 

[Gauss44]

A simple Google search will yield you dozens of results for sources and studies proving that masturbation is a highly efficient stress reliever (probably just as much as intercourses, really).

Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-sex/201101/attention-ladies-semen-is-antidepressant

Other stress relief methods (saw a psychologist for a one-time consultation about test anxiety):

-If you are hyperventilating, make yourself breath slower and take your pulse. It should slow down.

-Don't tell yourself "not to be anxious," instead acknowledge your thoughts and feelings. Try to accept those feelings, and move on. (The idea is that trying not to feel what your feeling can backfire into feeling helpless or out of control.)

-Think of a positive experience that should bring about positive emotions and reduce fight or flight.

-If a stressor is out of proportion, put it back in proportion. (Ex. I have overcome so much in life, MCAT will not be the end of me, nor will VR. I don't "have to" do well on it. It would be very convenient to do well on it.)

-Humor (At the risk of being tragic and crude: 1. I text messaged a friend to tell her I was taking the MCAT next week and auto correct changed it to "taking an m crap next week." I must have barely misspelled and auto correct did the rest. 2. My heart started pounding when I read a difficult VR passage. Then I thought about how tragic, yet funny awful, it would be if someone did, in fact, die while taking that test. Test really killed Gauss! What a horrible way to go out!)

I might add more later.

 

[terrifiedcarrot]

Yeah, I think learning to accept shortcomings and move on has been tremendously important for me.

 

[spartan25]

Yeah, I think learning to accept shortcomings and move on has been tremendously important for me.

This. Even as someone with a very good gpa and mcat score I still am completely stressed about things like lack of published research and volunteering. It's important to realize that no one (or very few!) has a perfect application

 

[amazing tekkers]

Two words: Pocket P*ssy

And what is that exactly?

I like to go to a quiet place with a nice view and relax--it also helps to play some soothing music.

 

[deleted407021]

I second the meditation comment. Also, fostering a 'deal with it' mentality helps. When faced with change or new information, dont stress over it. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

 

[TamaleShroveDoc]

Party

 

[IlDestriero]

I know sexual intercourse can reduce stress. I was referring to the masturbating part.

If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
But if you want to sit and admire the view and mediate listening to Kenny G, ok...

 

[Gauss44]

Yeah, I think learning to accept shortcomings and move on has been tremendously important for me.

Regarding the accepting of test anxiety, I found some relevant text I'll share in a minute. As mentioned above, I asked a psychologist for tips about dealing with test anxiety. I also mentioned wanting social science material to read to help with VR, and got it... A quote relevant to topic:

"Suppose the emotion that shows up is anxiety. If [we don't accept that emotion], and instead consider it unacceptable, we could end up with anger about our anxiety: How dare they make me feel like this? Or sadness about our anxiety: What's wrong with me? What's doing this to my body? Or a mixture of all these feelings.... Secondary emotions are like a [a positive feedback loop],... an amplifier."

"We [can] get emotionally distressed by our own feelings, we also [might] do whatever we can to get rid of them, regardless of the long-term costs. We draw clients' attention to the many ways they've done this - through more obvious strategies such as drugs, alcohol, food, TV, gambling, smoking, sex, surfing the net - to less obvious emotional control strategies, such as ruminating, chastising themselves, blaming others, and so on. (...many control strategies are not an issue, as long as they are used in moderation.)"

Source: Embracing Your Demons: an Overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy By Russell Harris - published in Psychotherapy in Australia, vol. 12 No. 4. Aug. 2006

I think this is all based on a specific psychological theory. It still might help someone.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
But if you want to sit and admire the view and mediate listening to Kenny G, ok...

Physician, heal thyself

 

[Ashley1989]

Its cheesy but I find a lot of stress relief in TAing. Basically I spend 3-4 hours a couple of times a week getting paid to bond with and help my peers. We often end up getting all the work done but also spend the lab laughing our asses off and having a wonderful time. Pretty much at the end of every quarter we take a group picture and everyone gets sentimental about it. It's sweet. Basically, find what you love and you will find an incredible support system.

 

[Mel Belle]

Physician, heal thyself

Isn't it unethical to treat yourself or anyone you know well? 😉

 

[Mel Belle]

Its cheesy but I find a lot of stress relief in TAing. Basically I spend 3-4 hours a couple of times a week getting paid to bond with and help my peers. We often end up getting all the work done but also spend the lab laughing our asses off and having a wonderful time. Pretty much at the end of every quarter we take a group picture and everyone gets sentimental about it. It's sweet. Basically, find what you love and you will find an incredible support system.

Can I just ask real quick how one becomes a TA? Do you just ask a professor? Is it really that simple? Haha. I really wanna do that.

 

[Ashley1989]

Can I just ask real quick how one becomes a TA? Do you just ask a professor? Is it really that simple? Haha. I really wanna do that.

It really depends on your institution. Many large schools have the grad students TA. You also have had to take the class and done well, and have a strong ability to teach. At my school we usually express interest before taking the class so the professor can keep an eye on us and see if they like us. It's also not as easy as it sounds, the class I TA for has an especially high burnout rate because its so demanding buttttt I adore it. And it's a huge happiness boost to have my students bring me flowers, add me on Facebook as soon as the final is over (yes!!! We can finally be friends!) have dozens of people hanging on my every word as I'm enthusiastically dancing around explaining something and the huge laughs we get when we do activities or I drag someone forward to get quizzed by everyone. Then my most favorite part is when someone was confused on something and we sit down to work through it and five minutes later they're happily explaining it to the next person and so on and so on. It's a blast BUT it also depends totally on the professor. Some professors micromanage like crazy, while others like the one I'm lucky enough to work under, give us lots of creative liberty.

 

[Mel Belle]

It really depends on your institution. Many large schools have the grad students TA. You also have had to take the class and done well, and have a strong ability to teach. At my school we usually express interest before taking the class so the professor can keep an eye on us and see if they like us. It's also not as easy as it sounds, the class I TA for has an especially high burnout rate because its so demanding buttttt I adore it. And it's a huge happiness boost to have my students bring me flowers, add me on Facebook as soon as the final is over (yes!!! We can finally be friends!) have dozens of people hanging on my every word as I'm enthusiastically dancing around explaining something and the huge laughs we get when we do activities or I drag someone forward to get quizzed by everyone. Then my most favorite part is when someone was confused on something and we sit down to work through it and five minutes later they're happily explaining it to the next person and so on and so on. It's a blast BUT it also depends totally on the professor. Some professors micromanage like crazy, while others like the one I'm lucky enough to work under, give us lots of creative liberty.

Thanks for answering! Are TAs more desirable for some classes more than others? Going by classes I've already taken I could only do gen bio and chem. If I ask my professors to monitor me then I could do something like orgo, perhaps. I would just love to have a job that's more conducive to learning/remembering by the time the MCAT comes around.

 

[Gauss44]

Breath in normally, breath out slowly to relieve stress. Breath in normally, breath out faster to wake up.

 

[brunkxcz]

I just get so stressed about upcoming tests

 

[Ashley1989]

 

[Ashley1989]

Thanks for answering! Are TAs more desirable for some classes more than others? Going by classes I've already taken I could only do gen bio and chem. If I ask my professors to monitor me then I could do something like orgo, perhaps. I would just love to have a job that's more conducive to learning/remembering by the time the MCAT comes around.

I don't know that TAs for some classes are more desirable than others, it's just more that you have a leadership position and stay refreshed on your information 🙂 any TA position will probably look great on your app. good luck!

 

[Gauss44]

I just get so stressed about upcoming tests

Follow the tips I made above, like breathing. Or hire someone to teach you in person. Once you learn to calm yourself through biological techniques, you can calm yourself before tests. Eventually tests should become less scary. I think that's the concept behind exposure therapy which works for a lot of people.

(I've been practicing VR by reading social science and scholarly psychology articles, and discussing with people who know the material. Social science and test anxiety were my weak points. Killing 2 birds with one stone!)

 

[Dr.Forssmann]

Planning my schedule helps me manage my stress i just delegate my worries to my schedule and only worry about the task at hand.

 

[Mel Belle]

Planning my schedule helps me manage my stress i just delegate my worries to my schedule and only worry about the task at hand.

THIS.

I've been reading some books by Cal Newport and this is a biggie. He recommends that you have a sheet of paper with you for the day. Write down your schedule on one side in timed out blocks (this includes little things such as, "I have a break 1:30-3:00 so in this time I'll take care of little things like picking up my mail, calling my dad, and paying my phone bill" not just what classes you're taking, when you plan to study, or what party you're going to tonight) then on the other side write down things you want to remember and add anything else during the day. For example, if you're in class and your professor tells you your paper topic is due next Thursday, just jot it down there and spend time later figuring out more details. Every morning spend 5 minutes transferring what was on that paper to your calendar, and write down your schedule/things to remember on a new sheet for the day.

Not only is it more stressful to force yourself to remember so much plastic information but it's also a very inefficient way to do things.

 

[Gauss44]

Planning my schedule helps me manage my stress i just delegate my worries to my schedule and only worry about the task at hand.

If you can just solve a practical problem and the stress goes away, that's great. Being prepared and having a great strategy can build confidence.

In my case, I had done that, but my history with struggling with VR was such that I was still panicking despite being prepared. It was the anxiety and panic getting in the way of success. I was so afraid of doing poorly, that I would lose my focus and do poorly.

If it's just a matter of being unprepared, then study study study!!! Or work on whatever problem is keeping you from being prepared. (This last line acknowledges circumstances where any amount of studying cannot prepare someone. Ex. Sometimes a learning disability will take this form - then you need to get accommodated.)

 

[Dr.Forssmann]

THIS.

I've been reading some books by Cal Newport and this is a biggie. He recommends that you have a sheet of paper with you for the day. Write down your schedule on one side in timed out blocks (this includes little things such as, "I have a break 1:30-3:00 so in this time I'll take care of little things like picking up my mail, calling my dad, and paying my phone bill" not just what classes you're taking, when you plan to study, or what party you're going to tonight) then on the other side write down things you want to remember and add anything else during the day. For example, if you're in class and your professor tells you your paper topic is due next Thursday, just jot it down there and spend time later figuring out more details. Every morning spend 5 minutes transferring what was on that paper to your calendar, and write down your schedule/things to remember on a new sheet for the day.

Not only is it more stressful to force yourself to remember so much plastic information but it's also a very inefficient way to do things.

I use google calendars and whenever i have something to do i just look for free time and schedule it in according to how much time it takes. It lends structure to your time. When you get good at time management you can manipulate the structure according to your needs. Its really exciting stuff. Not only am i stress free i've been doing better then i've ever had in school.

I sync it with my iphone so i have it with me and can edit it all the time! God i love technology.

 

[Dr.Forssmann]

I use google calendars and whenever i have something to do i just look for free time and schedule it in according to how much time it takes. It lends structure to your time. When you get good at time management you can manipulate the structure according to your needs. Its really exciting stuff. Not only am i stress free i've been doing better then i've ever had in school.

I sync it with my iphone so i have it with me and can edit it all the time! God i love technology.

You also begin to notice patterns which you can also manipulate and take advantage of.

 

[Mel Belle]

I use google calendars and whenever i have something to do i just look for free time and schedule it in according to how much time it takes. It lends structure to your time. When you get good at time management you can manipulate the structure according to your needs. Its really exciting stuff. Not only am i stress free i've been doing better then i've ever had in school.

I sync it with my iphone so i have it with me and can edit it all the time! God i love technology.

I agree with that idea. Technology is great. Just for me personally it doesn't seem to work. Not as my primary scheduling hub, at least. I get so many notifications on my Android smartphone that I end up unintentionally ignoring important reminders. I use technology for other things like Dropbox and Evernote, but for scheduling it just seems to get out of hand for me. I always have my planner on hand, but even if I don't I usually put important reminders on my digital calendars as a backup.

Whatever works for you. 👍