#premed burnout

[beansucc]

Being very successful academically and having mental illness is wild bc. I’m not trying hard enough. I don’t know how to try any harder. I have no idea if any achievement I’ve made is the fruit of my labor or the luck of my intelligence. Every unused second is wasted potential. I rot on in bed for hours. I’ve never worried about passing a class. I cry because I haven’t done the laundry. I’m the smartest person in this room. I’m a failure. If a single person is trying harder than me I am not trying hard enough.

Should I be doing better? Should I be suffering more?

[tokyoviee]

girlhood spectrum on a monthly basis. 🪢🔪

[grumpyoldsnake]

I think I might have liked to be — or at least might have been good at being — a doctor, if it weren’t for my emetophobia and my ADHD and the horrific work culture.

But given all those facts, I also think I should probably be grateful that the emetophobia kept me from ever trying to be a doctor before I realized the full implications of the latter two. 😂

[college-ravings]

hehehe....I'm Back!! Done with finals and did very well!!

I've been relaxing during this break immensely, and I realize now that the things that used to make me happy (running this blog, writing, art, etc) aren't having the same effect anymore because I've been so used to instant gratification from my phone during long study sessions. No longer to do I crave the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a WIP or a piece or art. And I miss it. A lot. I feel like my brain has become stagnant, hence the very long hiatus. I apologize!!

I'm working on building back my interest in doing things little by little. I can't believe I started a new WIP and one of those diamond art sticker things, but I can only go up from here.

Merry belated Christmas and Happy Early New Year!!

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Hey, I hope it's okay if i ask for some advice !!

I've been experiencing an intense autistic burnout and haven't gone to school for 1 ½ months. It would take too long to explain, but I HAVE to go to school next week..I haven't been outside until today (with two friends for two hours to prepare myself mentally for school) and even little social interactions exhaust me terribly. Moreover, I am terrified to go to school and I am afraid that it will cause yet another burnout (which is inevitable while I am at school, but I don't want it to happen as soon). School exhausts me because of social interactions, masking, sensory issues etc..Do you have any tips/strategies on how to make my start into school less terrifying for me? My teachers don't know about my autism (except one) who's class I will attend on monday (I told them via chat a day ago, but we haven't talked about it personally yet). I am supposed to give my teachers the diagnosis in the next 1-2 weeks.

Thank you so much !!

Hi there,

I’ve found some articles that are possibly helpful:

I really hope one of these articles have some useful tips. Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[mad-hunts]

details about ocs! // 🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits? (and/or) 🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favourite food(s)?

ASK MEME - details about oc's!

hello, hello, @oculusxcaro! i really appreciate you sending me this meme through my inbox — allow me to first address three of barton's more neutral / questionable traits. so, this may not be a surprise, but barton is definitely a bit... eccentric. i mean, especially to outsiders who do not know the true inner workings of his 'family business,' as he does actually make normal dolls as well. and so he does live up to his moniker ( the dollmaker ) in more ways than one. as to why barton makes actual dolls as well as his more twisted creations, part of it is because the cloth dolls seem to serve a role in his grotesque dollmaking: he came up with the idea to insert hidden messages in these dolls with information about the main victim that the prospective cloth doll is 'modeling,' so to speak ( so they'd essentially be a carbon copy of the doll he made using a real person, except while they were alive ) because some of his clients started to express a desire to feel more connected with the 'doll.' and he thought this would be a good way to keep their business. though, now he does it for everyone who purchases a ' doll. ' which is absolutely horrifying to think about, of course, but barton has also taken to creating cloth and / or different kinds of dolls as a hobby since winslow ( his surrogate father ) was a toymaker and it reminds him of the man.

plus, winslow was the person to teach him everything he knows regarding how to make the dolls in the first place, so he feels somewhat guilty for just using them for his own... less than savory purposes. but yeah, that is one way that barton is eccentic, and another would be that he can be surprisingly playful sometimes. however, if you are a stranger or if he doesn't know you very well in general, you aren't very likely to see this side of him. his playful / teasing side is mostly reserved for his closer friends, his family members and his romantic partner. like, just imagine the kind of playfulness that comes with completely catching someone off guard by suddenly saying ' trust fall ' out of absolute NOWHERE and letting yourself fall backwards, which leads the other person into a state of panic but then barton catching himself at the last moment. and him being like, ' ahhh, you really thought i was gonna fall back in hopes you would catch me only so i can crack my head open, didn't you? i wouldn't do that. i mean, look at those stick arms. we're gonna have to start calling you skelly if you don't get any meat on those. ' ( lol... )

so, there's no malice behind it, he really just jokes around with the people in his more tight-knit circle sometimes. as for what i'd say a second neutral trait of his is, is that he's a very ambitious person. barton strived for nothing less than A's and maybe the occasional one or two B's whenever it came to high school because he wanted to get into the best medical school that he could in the future — and this carried on into his premed years, though he might've suffered from an extreme case of burnout because of this during his junior year. this was also around the time that his past girlfriend, auriel, disappeared however. so that kind of added onto the situation and made it worse. anyhow, barton has always tried to strive to be the best at his job, despite it being completely wrong morally and has grown somewhat of a reputation with gotham's underground for being one of the best people to go to if you can't go to the hospital ( either because you have committed a crime or a myriad of other reasons ) , but you still want top-quality medical care.

thirdly, and last but certainly not least, is the fact that barton is bold. he is the kind of person in which, if someone tells him not to do something in a bad situation because it's too dangerous or what have you, that he will do it anyway. and despite him generally not being a good father as a rule, he has demonstrated a desire to protect his children over all else in a few situations. which is a rather fearless thing to do when you're being held at gunpoint or outnumbered. his former boss, in particular, had wanted to kill one of his children as punishment for trying to leave him but barton said ' nope, that's not happening, ' and hopped right in front of them. needless to say, they both ended up getting out of that situation alive, but yeah.

another way in which barton is bold is he will stand up to people if they try to hurt his friends and although his definition of friends is... a bit different than normal, to say the least. and this is because barton can very well feel cognitive empathy towards them even if he has difficulty with empathizing with them on an emotional level. once again, it just kind of depends on how close you are to him, but barton has this funny way of appearing as if he doesn't care about someone at all but will turn around and scare off any people who attempt to torment certain people in his life. but anyhow... i'm getting a bit off-track here. i hope this was very informative as to what some of barton's neutral traits are!

[dxppercxdxver]

dragonforge and associates is basically:

- pieter dragonforge, guy who went to seminary school and has a kickass rec room basement who no one would normally Like given all the proselytizing but unfortunately he’s just too damn nice and his basement is so good

- riswynn, a former premed student who changed her major to history after some #burnout

- melech, a weird hipster studying music theory and philosophy who hangs out with riswynn

- flessa, someone’s 8 year old child who happens to be a gymnastics prodigy, and who hangs with riswynn and melech, her designated babysitters

- k, a park ranger who leads local conservation efforts

- olestran quiverbottom, the guy who keeps sneaking into k’s park to make s’mores (illegal fires) and hunt out of season with no permit

like i said. all queer early twenties folk’s begrudgingly hanging with pieter because they’ve been friends for so long and he’s got really good beanbags in his basement

[garyrsimonds]

The Interview - Military Bearing

The Interview - Military Bearing The Straight Scoop on Med School and Healthcare Careers. The Interview - How to shine in your medical school interview. No slouching! Use "Military Bearing" when being interviewed. Gary R SImonds, Neurosurgeon, discusses all things related to medical school, residency, and carrers in healthcare. What is involved. Who should go in. How to get in. What is BS and what is not. How to maximize your chances of getting in. The process. Burnout. Life in healthcare. Residency. And more. Please contact me with questions and topics you would like to discuss. Website: grsimonds.com #medicalschool #premedadvice #premed #premedlife#medicine #premedtips #burnout #burnoutprevention#medicine #burnout #medicalschoollife #medicalschool#residency #residencymatch #residencylife

[tarhalindur]

Having been in the *exact* same boat down to which major I enjoyed more, pretty confident the answer is mostly 5 with a side of 4 and 2 and probably some 3.

But really the trick is in what the tests in each field are focusing on.  In my experience history at the collegiate level tends to emphasize your ability to put together and synthesize information in order to develop a thesis and then argue for it; biology at the collegiate level instead tends to test on your ability ti memorize lists of information and specifically the lists of information the teacher wants, and those are significantly different skillsets.  I suspect the different focus in biology is downstream of biology’s role as a feeder major for med school; notably in my experience the evolution and ecology side of the field (which was always my focus in the field but I didn’t get to take much of them because of degree requirements and my school focusing on the premed side of bio, and also tended to be my favorite bio classes - Stream Ecology in particular was fucking fun as shit) tended to be much easier because they tested more for the same skillset history does.  (The upper-level Evolution course I took in particular was one of the easiest A’s I got in college precisely because the exams were testing the history skillset rather than the biology one - and I distinctly remember the complaints of all the grad students in the class about how it was one of the hardest classes they had taken.  And for them I suppose it was - after all, they weren’t used to the skillset the tests were asking for!)

(I then proceeded to bail on actually proceeding to graduate school despite my brain also being wired for academia, for reasons that were one part burnout to three parts me getting to application season, really looking at what I’d seen from the graduate students and where I saw the future shape of academia going, and basically running screaming.  Not like anything else has fared much better for me, mind...)

the fact that I have gotten vastly better grades in upperclassman history classes than I have in biology classes, despite bio being my career-oriented major (history is just cool and fun and I pay per semester, not per degree, so I may as well leave with two diplomas) suggests some number of possibilities:

biology classes are generally harder than history classes at this university

I am better at history than at biology (I put a lot more effort into bio and still get worse grades)

I am equally talented but don't need to put as much work into history--I'm far more knowledgeable about history because it's a stronger extracurricular interest

they're equally strong interests, but history is MUCH more generalizable. every hour spent reading about history gives much more generalizable knowledge than every hour spent reading about bio. political systems in different states are a lot more similar than protein pathways in different organisms

the amount and difficulty is equal, but the questions on bio exams have much more specific answers, and the same level of knowledge/forgetting what the lecturer said translates to a worse grade because it can't be bluffed.

I'm leaning toward 4 or 5 but I would genuinely love input on this one. my brain is structured such that I should go into an at least semi-academic career, but on what subject?

keeping in mind, of course, that the prospects for finding a decent-paying job in biology are orders of magnitude better than finding one in history.

[beansucc]

Machine turns on at 0700.

One hour to clean and clothe and fuel.

Thirty minutes to destination. Machine is always on time.

Machine learns molecules and cells and patterns of humans.

Machine receives “A” in every function.

Machine enters rest mode at 2300 and remains in thoughtless darkness for 8 hours.

We can do better than this, surely.

Rebooting…

Machine turns on at 0600.

30 minutes to clean and clothe and fuel.

30 minutes to destination. Machine is always early.

Machine learns proteins and biological pathways and patterns of electromagnetic fields.

Machine receives “A+” in every function.

Machine enters rest mode at 2200 and remains in thoughtless darkness for 8 hours.

Booooooring. Give us some flavor.

Rebooting…

Machine turns on at 0500.

30 minutes to clean and clothe and fuel.

30 minutes to destination. Machine is always first.

Machine learns genetics and violin and patterns of avian migration.

Machine receives “A++” in every function.

Machine volunteerS at Dog Shelter every weekend. Machine loves Dog.

Machine enters rest mode at 2200 And remains in thoughtless darkness for 7 hours.

Doesn’t it need a bit more… experience?

Rebooting…

Machine turns oN at 0400.

20 minutes to clean and clothe and fuel. .

20 minutes to destination. Machine is always ffirst.

Machine learns cancer and literature and patterns of patterns of numbers.

Machine recEives “A+++” in every function.

Machine gives pills at Hospital to Patient. Machine is good at Pills.

Machine volunteers at Homeless Dog Shelter every weekeNd. Machine loves Homeless Dog.

Machine enters rest m0de at 2200 and remains in thoughtless darkness for 6 hours.

Just a little bit more. You can do that, right?

Rebooting…

Machine turns on at 0000.

1 minute to clean and clothhe and to destination.

30 seconds to fuel. Machine is FIRST..

Machine learns war and peAce and patterns of cycles of humanS.

Machine receives “A+A+A” in every [function].

Machine gives Pill that cures Patientt. Machine is good.?

Machine volunteers at Dog Hospital. Machine loves patterns of patterns of Dog.

Machine receives “NULL” in every [ACCESS].

Machine learns numbers and letters and Machines.!

MacHine enters rEst mode at 0000 and remains in thoughtLess darkness for P hours.

Piece of shit. Let’s just make a new one. Clear it.

Deleting data…

Machine turns learns receives gives volunteers enters Dog Pill Homeless Hospital .

Machine loves molecules cells electromagnetic violin cancer war.!

Machine turns on oN ON.

1 minute to stoP.

30 seconds tO STOP. Machine is always n0. .!

Machine learnS hUrTS and PLeaSE and patterns of patterns of pleasepLEaSE PLEASE..

Machine receives “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” in every [TRY AGAIN].

Machine gives and gives and gives and i cAN Try AgAIN.

Machine volunteers at I cAN Do BEtTEr. Machine loves I’LL bETtER THiS tIME. .!

Patterns of patterns of pleASE sTArT aGaiN.

Machine cAN be GoOd.! Machine pROMiSEs.!!

Machine wiLL dO ANyTHing..

Machine enters HeLP mE at sTOpStOpSTOP and remains in thoughtless darkness

Data Deleted Successfully.

[charterandbarter]

it's not done but hhhhhhhhhrgh. sometimes. you revisit your roots.

[mightbeyousstuff]

I really need to get my life back together again. The panic of doing poorly on my approaching exams must be enough of a motivation for it, right??? 

[intrainingdoc]

We are excited to announce our in-House 2019 Theme Issues, a peer-reviewed writing opportunity for residents & fellows which includes monetary awards.

We are now accepting submissions to our theme issues, which are listed below. Submit your manuscript at http://in-housestaff.org/in-house-theme-issues.

in-House is the online peer-reviewed publication for residents & fellows at http://in-housestaff.org.

Social Medicine: February 2019

s/p The Match — One Year Later: March 2019

Arts in Medicine: April 2019

Mental Health: May 2019

Women in Medicine: September 2019

Complications: October 2019

Military Medicine: November 2019

[wayfaringmd]

Hi. I really love your blog. I have my B.A., completed a post-bacc. and am in grad. school. I have dedicated the past 7 years to studying cultures of medicine. I am now preparing for the MCAT and it is unlike any other beast. When I study, I get defeated and don't want to study--as my studies were mostly in humanities it's not my typical thing. I keep pushing the date. time's running out. Now or never. Do I just not really want this? Did you ever feel this way?

Honestly, no, I didn’t feel that way. The MCAT was just the next hurdle I had to jump through after finals and before graduation. I pushed through because it was on the way to a destination I was looking forward to. But my story doesn’t have to be your story. Maybe you need a break to think about whether this is what you really want. Maybe you need to re-evaluate your interests and see if they line up with the path you’re on. Or maybe you just need to hunker down and push through. I can’t know which way is right for you.

[study-acad3mia]

Hello studyblr community! How are you?

I’m sorry for not being active lately, I’m going through a lot of life changing events right now and I’m still trying to adjust to my new normal. On top of that, I’m trying to combat academic burnout even though I am very much drowning in homework and skipping lectures. What’s the point of attending lectures if you’re two weeks behind with the material, am I right? I don’t know… I’m trying so hard to catch up on stuff right before exams but cramming is never healthy.

My problem class this semester is definitely organic chemistry. Nothing against the subject, it’s just that my professor likes to teach literally a chapter a lecture and ramble about information that’s not on the exams or not learned until later orgo courses. His teaching style is so against my learning style so all semester I’ve been trying to teach myself the material. Needless to say, I’m already planning on retaking this class next semester 😪😪… the only good thing is that I met a girl who’s in that class and we’re going to start meeting up and studying together. Right now she’s the only thing pushing me to try and pass this class rather than give up and wait on retaking it. So… thanks to my random classmate for believing in me!

I also changed one of my majors. I’m now a biology major and not biochem. Idk, I didn’t like the superiority complex that exists in my chemistry department and the hidden rule that every biochem major is in premed. All the helpful information in the department was focused on premed, and I even had an advisor once tell me that it’s very surprising that I’m not in premed and then she proceeded to try and convince me to switch to it. In case y’all didn’t catch my drift, I don’t like premed. I don’t want to commit to something like that if I’m not 100% sure I want it. Therefore, I’ll stay out of it. Idek what I want to aim towards as a career, life keeps throwing curveballs at me and honestly, I might as well stay at my current office job cuz that’s my only job security for now. Hell, they even let me work from home. Idk, we’ll see…

That’s all for my long rant, I hope to be more active soon (that is, if I remember to post on here)

Have a good study break!

[itsthepremedprincess]

📚💊

How to Deal with Study Burnout

As students in this day and age, it’s quite common for us to juggle rigorous academic responsibilities and overwhelming extracurricular activities. As a result, we might feel burnt out. But what exactly is burnout? 

Burnout is when you feel physically and mentally exhausted as a result of constantly lacking the energy required to fulfill the demands of your studying.

Burnout can be broken down into three parts:

Exhaustion is what causes you to feel tired all the time and unable to concentrate. You could also get sick or have trouble sleeping.

Cynicism or depersonalization is when you feel disconnected from those around you, e.g. your friends and family.

Inefficacy is a decrease in productivity, efficiency, or quality of your work.

How do you know if you have burnout?

Symptoms may vary, but they include:

Being unable to absorb new information

Intellectual exhaustion

Decreasing academic performance and productivity

Feeling like you need to prove yourself

Making yourself work even more, even though you’re exhausted or being unwilling to study further

Neglecting your needs

Long term fatigue

Showing disinterest in things you normally enjoy, e.g. hobbies or friends

Denying that something’s wrong with you (may manifest in the form of aggression)

Avoiding social interaction

Feeling empty and depressed

What can I do to fix it?

Here are some short term solutions for dealing with burnout.

1. Take a power nap Power naps are life changing. They help you recharge your energy and get you ready to start working again. They also improve learning, memory, creativity, alertness, and mood. I would recommend napping for 30 minutes at most, because anything more will lead to a longer sleep session.

Optional: drink coffee before your nap - something that takes a short while to consume like a shot of espresso - so that you’ll feel alert and revitalized afterwards!

2. Take a shower A cold one will wake you up, but a warm one will calm you down. I suggest starting with warm water, then ending with cold water.

3. Exercise Whether it’s playing soccer or doing yoga, the important thing is to get moving! Exercise releases endorphins or happy hormones that help you combat stress.

4. Run a quick errand This will help take your mind off things while also getting something done! You’ll also end up walking, which is technically a form of exercise.

5. Call or visit a friend Sometimes what we’re lacking is social interaction, and hanging out with a friend definitely helps. Whether it’s providing you with a distraction or giving emotional support, your friends are always there to help you. Plus, science has shown that being with friends reduces your cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

6. Eat a snack Preferably a healthy one. Eat something with proteins, vitamins, and fibers to boost your mood. Here’s a list of mood boosting foods.

7. Surf the web This requires A TON of discipline, but it’s definitely a game changer. Surfing the web is one of the most relaxing things you could do. I personally look for a good laugh during my study breaks, so I’d watch a comedy or scroll through memes to get those happy hormones up and running.

8. Do an activity you find interesting, e.g. a hobby We all need happiness in our lives, and our hobbies are perhaps the best way to find that joy. You could sit down with a page turning adventure, or go outside and shoot hoops, or listen to a podcast, or even bullet journal, as long as you’re having a good time.

9. Listen to music Music is one of the ways we gain energy, so I always make time for it during the day. However, you should choose the right music, because not all the music you love is going to make you feel energized. For me, it’s pop punk with hard hitting beats, thundering guitars, and really upbeat, enthusiastic vocals. Some of you might be energized by mellow music with dreamy vocals that make you feel like you’re floating in the clouds. If you choose the wrong music, you might just end up feeling sluggish and drained.

10. Get some fresh air Your brain needs 20% of the oxygen in your body. Fresh air brings more oxygen to your brain so that you can think more clearly, feel less tired, and concentrate more easily.

How do I make sure I don’t get it in the future?

Avoiding study burnout in the long term has a lot to do with our study habits - as well as our daily habits. We need to make sure that our bodies and minds receive the things they need, and that we aren’t overworking them.

1. Study a little at a time Break up your notes into smaller, more easily digestible pieces and learn a little at a time. This way, you’re not overwhelming your brain, and you have time to let that new knowledge settle in.

2. Time management Having a good study schedule is crucial in preventing burnout. You don’t want to force yourself to work at your slow hours. Aside from that, you definitely shouldn’t leave things until the last minute, and sticking to a schdule will help you pace yourself. Here’s a post I wrote on How to Make an Efficient Revision Schedule and How to Beat Procrastination.

3. Get enough rest I cannot stress enough that sleep is so important for you. It improves your cognitive functioning and also enhances your mood, making it less likely that you’ll get burnt out. Make sure to take power naps, too, if you feel like you need them. 

You also really shouldn’t pull all-nighters. Sleep is also involved in cementing memories in your brain, so if you study a little before you sleep, you’re bound to remember more than if you studied a chapter during an all nighter.

Having trouble sleeping? Here’s a post I made about my night routine and how to get better sleep.

4. Cycle your study environments Your body and mind are bound to get tired from being in the same location for prolonged periods of time. The best way to fix that is to study in different places: at your desk, your backyard, the dining table, a cafe, a friend’s house, the library, etc.You should find a frequency that works for you. I like to switch it up every 2-3 days; some people change locations every week.

5. Eat well As I’ve mentioned before, healthy foods with protein, vitamins, and fiber greatly improve your mood and your physical health. Proper nutrition will give your brain the power it needs to push through. Also make sure not to skip meals; honestly you’ll just end up feeling terrible afterwards.

6. Take frequent breaks Let’s face it, we’re human, we’re bound to get tired from studying for a long time. Taking breaks enables our brains to digest the information we just learned in a pace that works for it. Breaks also help us focus on something other than studying, so that when we do get back to it, we’ll be ready to digest even more information.

7. Set realistic study goals You’re gonna memorize all 500 pages of your biology textbook in one day? Good luck with that. Some of you might be compulsive studiers, but this kind of habit isn’t very good for your brain or your physical health. Studies have shown that excess studying can lead to lower productivity, fatigue, and - you guessed it - burnout. In the end, this will result in lower academic performance, perhaps even in the long run. So instead of trying to study so much in one sitting or one day, break up your material into chunks.

8. Maintain your social life Wherever you lie on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, everyone needs social interaction once in a while. It keeps you sane and healthy. Go out with your friends, have a sleepover, or maybe even a study date.

9. Start the day right What we do in the morning can significantly affect our mood for the rest of the day. Sometimes we don’t even feel like getting up in the morning, or doing anything that day. One thing you should do is create a morning routine you enjoy to jumpstart your day. Here are 8 Morning Habits for Productivity.

10. Think positive When we’re feeling burnt out, it’s hard to not think negatively about everything. In reality, that just makes our condition worse. So think positively! Start small, like congratulating yourself for getting out of bed today, and then work your way up to bigger accomplishments, like finishing 2 chapters of your textbook.

11. Keep a stress diary This is kind of a new concept for me, but it’s really great. How it works is that each day, you would write down all the things that made you stressed and how they made you stressed. This will help you identify the things you’re doing that’s causing your burnout, e.g.

Too long study hours? take regular breaks

Too much time in the same place? cycle your study environment

Not eating properly? set aside time to eat healthy meals at least 2 times a day

Not doing the things you love? schedule in time for that, e.g. during your long breaks

Not getting enough human interaction? make a study group

Too much negative thinking? adopt a positive mindset (you can always start small)

Not getting enough sleep? fix your sleep schedule

And that’s all I have for you guys this time. Hope these tips will help you manage your stress and study burnout whenever you have them. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop an ask!

P.S. if any of you want to see the images in this post in better quality, click here (link to google drive)