Coping with Medical School Stress

With exams pressure, being away from home, living in new surroundings and trying to live on a tight budget, Medical school can be a stressful experience. Stress can lead to all sorts of problems, from sleepless nights and headaches, to excessive drinking, feelings of depression, and anxiety. Coping with stress is important for any student, as stress can impact your university work and lead to potential health problems.

To cope with stress it’s important to understand exactly what stress is and what causes it. We all feel stressed at certain times of our lives, often when we have are busy or have a lot to deal with. Stress is a natural feeling that can have some benefits. Stress can help us focus, speed up our reaction times and drive us on during busy periods of our lives. Too much stress, however, can do the opposite, making it hard to function and lead to physical and psychological problems. The key to coping is to identify what is causing the feelings of stress. Often these are things like exams, busy workload, money, relationships and lack of sleep. Coping with stress means identifying and dealing with these issues.

Getting plenty of sleep is one of the best defences against medical school stress. When we feel tired, normal tasks become more difficult and can heighten feelings of stress, so when you are feeling stressful, get some early nights. Changing your diet and ensuring you are eating good healthy and wholesome meals will also help, as will making sure you get plenty of exercise because if you feel physically well, it is more likely you will feel better psychologically. As workload is a common cause of stress, ensure you get plenty of rest and time off from studies. Make sure you spend time socialising and have periods where you can relax. This will help keep you refreshed and prevent work from overwhelming you. Try not to overburden your workload. If possible, focus on one task at a time. If you have several assignments due in, just think about one in particular. By focusing your energy on one piece of work and completing it, you will reduce your overall workload and relieve the stress that work is causing.

If you have personal problems that are causing you to feel stress, don’t bottle things up. Talk to friends, tutors and family members. Talking about problems can often alleviate stress and can provide advice in dealing with the circumstances you find yourself in. If stress is becoming more serious and overwhelming, try getting involved in activities that help you relax, yoga and breathing exercises, for instance, but if stress is becoming a long-term problem it may be best to seek professional help. You could speak to your GP about stress and they may be able to prescribe something that can help relieve your symptoms. They may even refer you to a counsellor of therapist who will be trained and experienced in helping people cope with stress. Most medical schools have a student counselling service, which can offer short-term counselling sessions and may also provide the help you need.

on 09.10.11 by Robert Steen