Dealing with Stress
| March 16, 2011 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
Excerpt posted by nelonvet at the Student Doctor Network:
“I’d like to offer advice if anyone cares…about what helped me get through the rigors of veterinary school. I strictly follow these things as they truly have helped me stay sane:
1.) Drink plenty of water (seriously)
2.) ALWAYS set a time to go to bed…even if I never finished studying fo ran exam…I didn’t care, bed time was 10:30 p.m. and I got up at 6…never missed that rule except once or twice due to some emergency issues.
3.) Always eat breakfast, always eat every meal of the day…always…always…there’s never an excuse of I had not time…you can always make time to eat during class.
4.) Hang out with friends
5.) Exercise****this one is key to feeling physically and mentally good…I used to take naps that helped me stay focused longer when I studied…I found out 30minutes of exercise is just as good at that and it gets me in good shape…double bonus!
6.) Don’t forget your friends na dfmaily wherever your’re from (if you came from far away)…always keep in touch once a week, it’s usch a relief to hear from them and talk to them.
7.) Skip some classess…yep.. I said it…you should be able to tell after the first exam fro each class whether its even worth your time (especially the morning classes) of going to the class o rnot. Like, this semester, I’m skipping literally half my classes (4 day weekend!!!) because the teachers are either so bad at presenting the information I learn it better myelf…or they just test right from the slides…no point in waking up early or going to school..i’m having a grand ‘ol time!
8.) Get all your essential amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins and minerals…you’ll need ‘em all!
9.) Join some clubs, it’ll help you connect
10.) Get a hobby totally unrelated to school…this one has really kept me going at tough time!”
Mel back in – There are many situations where this advice applies beyond vet school. This list looks suspiciously like one I would make for “how to get through an endurance ride”. I think that making a plan BEFORE you embark on something designed to stretch you to your limits is key. Chose a few “commitments”, put them in a visible place, and revisit them often. My four commitments that are written on my bathroom mirror are:
1. Food as fuel
2. Keep moving
3. Don’t over commit
4. Adequate sleep
5. Devotions
They aren’t goals or aspirations. They are commitments to how I want to live my life every single day.
I would love to do all of these things but along with working to afford school and my horse, I LITERALLY have to let something go and it has been…well, a lot of those things. Eating well, exercising and sleep. I just don’t get how to fit it all in!
Grrr…had a whole big wonderful comment and blogger ate it and now my comp is out of battery. Here’s the short version – I agree it’s tough and not everything gets done well every day. the committments work better for me than goals/rules because I can variously interpret them to meet the demands of the day…
Grrr…had a whole big wonderful comment and blogger ate it and now my comp is out of battery. Here’s the short version – I agree it’s tough and not everything gets done well every day. the committments work better for me than goals/rules because I can variously interpret them to meet the demands of the day…
Honestly, all my classes are recorded as mp3 files. So if I study best at night, getting up in the morning and losing energy to be unproductive is not going to get you past the exam.
I overheard this said by one of the deans to a group of interview-ees…”It’s not the material that is hard. It is the amount of material that is hard.”
And that is IT. There is SO MUCH to learn and so not enough time to do it in. For me, dealing with Lyme disease + medical school + horses is it. Advice like this isn’t really good (IMO) because you can’t make these kinds of judgement calls until you are there.
I would say just focus on passing and your pony. That is enough of a demand and a reward right there. After all, horse people are not the average grad student…I think we would rather be spending money at a tack store than a bar! 🙂
Sorry to be a little grumpy–insane physiology exam tomorrow. I used to read the Student Doctor boards a lot and found that this is totally different. I know my experience is definitely colored by having a whacko, hard to treat illness however. (lol…understatement of the century!)