Dealing with Stress as a New Medical Student
Being new to medical school as a new medical student can be somewhat daunting because you are new to the system and a medical course is the type that will be very demanding of your time and a lot of study will have to go into it, likely with a very tight schedule of lectures and the likes but the thing is there’s a way for you to cope. There are measures you can put in place which can help you to be able to cope very well as a new student in medical school or college. If you’re wondering about how to cope as a new medical student, looking for how you can manage yourself well as a medical student, do well to just look up on some points in this article which could be helpful.
The possibility is there that as a new student in the medical school you are thinking of how stressful it will be and probably you are not sure if you will be able to cope but by applying some good tips you can be able to cope very well and adopt a style of life that is necessary for success.
1. Don’t be too hard on yourself
You need to have it at the back of your mind that there may be times you experience some little bits of failure in the process but that should not by any means make your spirit to go low. You should understand that you may not have the hundred percent kind of smooth ride, there may be tests that you may not do very well in but you don’t need to have distinction in all the courses before you are called a doctor eventually. Have it at the back of your mind that while you are pursuing excellence you should not get too hard on yourself when you experience some little bit of failure or poor results. When you experience such poor feedbacks or results, all you need to do is just too quickly reset your mind, pick yourself up and keep moving. Also strive to do better in subsequent tests and exams.
2. Believe that you can
You also need to understand that sometimes you might feel like wow there are so many students in your class that are better than you or that you don’t quite fit into the category of students that are in your class, probably you feel they are more intelligent. Well, you should a have it at the back of your mind and quickly remember at sometimes that you were admitted into the college because you were qualified, that you were admitted means you can do it so carry a positive mindset and don’t underestimate your capacity, prove to yourself and others that you really can. Don’t allow low self-esteem to set in. Regardless of how you compare in your intellectual progress with others, be determined in yourself to succeed and excel.
3. Get past questions
This should be a very good idea for you, you should find out to know if lecturers do repeat questions, it is possible that some lecturers may not have the time or be able to put in the effort to set totally new questions, they may just be recycling old questions, probably changing some things but still basically similar questions. So, all you need to do is to find out if lecturers are repeating questions and if is so then get as many relevant past questions as possible and solve them appreciably as much as you can, familiarize yourself with likely questions. Of course, this does not mean that you only use past questions for your preparation when it comes to preparing for tests and exams but use the past questions to serve as a boost to your preparation and familiarization with likely questions. For you to even be able to answer the questions well, intensive study is very key.
4. Seek advice
If you’re finding it a little bit difficult or somewhat hard trying to balance yourself in the school as a new medical student, then you can seek advice from your friends, seek advice from senior colleagues on how they have been able to cope and what strategies they have employed. Get to know the coping techniques that you can also use to be successful and to be able to cope very well as a medical student. Seeking advice from your senior colleagues can go a long way to really help you because there may be some hints that you need to be familiar with which they will tell you when you go to them to ask questions. Don’t take it for granted, in fact you know to get some of the past questions, it is likely going to be from your senior colleagues, therefore try to build a good relationship with some of them.
5. Have a good timetable
It is important for you to have a good time schedule for all your activities for school and extracurricular activities. Make sure that you have a good timetable that you stick to, this will help you to be able to keep good track of your time. In preparing and following your timetable you have to be very disciplined as a medical student because you need a lot of time for study and a lot of time to concentrate on your primary assignment for being in school. You should try to develop a good habit of following a feasible and effective timetable right from your first year and continue with this habit all through your time in school.
6. Rest and Eat well
Despite the fact that you may likely have a lot of things on your hands to attend to, it is important that you get a good rest when necessary. Take appropriate time to sleep as necessary, do not overwork yourself to the point that you break down or that you get seriously stressed out. Ensure you maintain a balance between your work and your rest, rest when it is necessary. Be sure to do everything that is necessary for you to keep healthy, eat well and rest well so that you can be able to attend to your activities as efficiently as possible.
7. Avoid unhelpful study groups
Also, you should avoid study groups where focus is not upheld, if the study group is more of gist or fun then it’s not the best for you. It is better for you to focus and study on your own and read as best as possible, seek help when you need to or get the right partners or study group if necessary but with the right focus than for you to be in a study group that is not focused and helpful.
8. Focus, study
One major thing that is important for you as a new medical student or as a medical student is to focus, concentrate and study as much as possible. Ensure that you do away with as many distractions as possible. The cell phone is a distraction, the internet, chats and the likes, these are distractions you must be able to master the art of dealing with distractions as much as possible. Achieving high success will demand great level of discipline from you. Know how to balance everything.
9. Keep in touch with people
Ensure that you keep in touch with people that you’ve left behind at home as much as possible, keep in touch with your friends, with your parents and siblings. You could decide to have a specific day when you call them, or you can send messages or chat on WhatsApp or through other means. Just ensure that you keep in touch, do not get all caught up with the demands of the school and then forget to reach out to loved ones back at home or friends around. Of course, you must also know how to balance this, plan it well and don’t allow it to disturb your studies.