Importance of Self-Care in Medical School
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What Redditors are SayingImportance of Self-Care in Medical School
TL;DR Self-care is crucial for preventing burnout and maintaining mental health during the demanding years of medical school. It's about finding balance, prioritizing your well-being, and understanding that it's okay not to be perfect.
Understanding Burnout
Burnout is a significant issue in medical school and the healthcare profession. Many students and professionals experience feelings of being overwhelmed, exhausted, and inadequate 
[5:1][2:3]. Recognizing these feelings as normal can help mitigate their impact. It's essential to acknowledge that you won't know everything and that everyone feels lost at times [5:1].
Prioritization and Balance
Learning to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively is key to self-care in medical school. Students are encouraged to focus on what is necessary for their goals and not overextend themselves by trying to excel in every aspect [5:6]. Taking mental health days to reconnect with oneself and engage in enjoyable activities is also recommended [5:5].
Mental Health Practices
Self-care involves both physical and mental health practices. Regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and hydration are foundational elements [1:2]. Additionally, engaging in activities that bring joy and relaxation, such as hobbies or spending time with family, can provide peace and control amidst the chaos [1:5].
Cultural Attitudes and Systemic Issues
There is criticism of how self-care is sometimes portrayed as a personal responsibility rather than addressing systemic issues that contribute to burnout [3:2]. The culture in medicine often emphasizes patient care over personal well-being, leading to burnout among healthcare providers [4:7]. It's important to advocate for a balanced approach where self-care is seen as integral to providing quality patient care [4:1].
Recommendations
While discussions highlight various approaches to self-care, it may also be beneficial to explore resources like books or podcasts that focus on realistic boundaries and self-compassion [2:1]. Engaging with communities or support groups can provide additional insights and encouragement.
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Source Threads
POST SUMMARY • [1]Summarize
Self care as a counseling student and school counselor?
Posted by markergluecherry · in r/schoolcounseling · 4 months ago
ORIGINAL POSTI'm a few days into my school counseling masters program and I am really enjoying it. However, one of our first lectures was on self care, and it's caused me to do a lot of self reflection. I am honestly concerned with my self care abilities and feel nervous in anticipation for what life will be like once I start my internship and take more classes. As a student and/or as a working counselor, how do you ensure that you are not counseling as impaired by lack of self care routines and habits? What do you incorporate into your daily life and routine to ensure that you are adequately caring for yourself and are showing up to work the best you can be?
Something that really helped me was doing a self care inventory. You can Google and find a bunch, do one or a few to get a sense of where your self care needs work.
Then I would recommend making a plan to figure out what brings you closer to good self care habits and what brings you further away from that.
Also make sure that your basic needs are met. Make sure you’re eating, drinking, sleeping enough. Make sure you’re keeping up with hygiene and healthcare and medications. Make sure you have time to relax, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day.
My Masters program integrated self care into many of the courses, it was constantly talked about and my professors really seemed to care about whether we had good self care habits. Hopefully your program is the same.
Self care is a practice. Sometimes you’ll be strong in your practice and other times you won’t. The key is to remember that you can always come back to it when / if you stray away. As a working parent in grad school, it was little things. Taking a 15 min walk after work, taking naps, watching trash tv when I did homework, using all my sick and personal days, not feeling guilty about whatever weird meal I threw together, and treating myself to a coffee / drink / kombucha while working on homework. Self care can also look like saying no to social expectations (esp as a mom) and other invites. I was so worried that my lack of physical engagement would isolate me but I learned that as long as I was honest about capacity and checked in via text / voice msg then i stayed connected to my community. I’ve gotten so good at asking for help, admitting my limitations and feeling comfortable saying no. Def an unexpected blessing in disguise
You will have to say No to a lot of things you might want to do in order to keep on top of self-care. Congrats on getting yours and good luck in your program!
As a second career school counselor and dad, I spend as much time doing things with and for family as I possibly can. If I'm not doing that, my retreat is doing something that doesn't need to get done... usually cooking something special or doing an extra special yard work project. There is peace in having control over at least a few minutes of your day when you work as a counselor.
I did not take self care very seriously until I actually burned out and noticed that I was doing my students a disservice. I was not as patient as I could be and I pushed things up the chain of command as soon as something got difficult instead of trying to solve it on my own because I did not have the head space to think critically and problem solve like I should be. That was a huge wake up call to take a step back and figure out what I needed to do to show up as the best version of myself. It took some trial and error but I made a plan and incorporated things that helped to destress me and actually stuck to it. For me that was meal prepping every Sunday, working out 3 times a week, making time to do hobbies like reading or drawing for 15 minutes every day, and doing at least one social thing a week even if I didn’t want to go because I always feel better afterwards. I used to think that self care was taking a bath or doing a facemask or something, and that definitely does have a time and place don’t get me wrong. But self care can take a lot of discipline and will look different for everyone. There are times when I let these habits slip because it’s easier to order take out or sit at home and scroll on my phone and binge watch TV, and I truly notice a difference in my energy levels, self esteem, and performance at work. To start building a routine that works for you, I would just start by trying out different healthy habits and keeping track of what makes a difference and what brings you joy. You know yourself best! It’s amazing that you are trying to figure this out now and I promise it does make a difference. You are worth taking care of!
r/selfcare • [2]Summarize
“Self-care is not selfish.” Lessons I learned while researching burnout among Indian doctors
Posted by harshitadas14 · in r/selfcare · 3 months agoI’m a doctor, and last year, I hit a wall. Between night shifts, impossible expectations, and the pressure to always be “strong,” I realized I didn’t actually know how to take care of myself.
I started writing to make sense of it. Not as a therapist or life coach—just as someone who had never been taught how to handle stress in a healthy way.
That project turned into something bigger: I began interviewing dozens of Indian doctors, many of whom were experiencing serious burnout, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. What surprised me was that the most common stressors—overwork, guilt, poor boundaries, imposter syndrome—weren’t just limited to medicine.
We’re all dealing with them. We just don’t talk about it.
A few things I’ve learned that might help anyone:
Self-care isn’t bubble baths—it’s saying no without guilt, sleeping enough, eating before your body crashes, and setting emotional boundaries.
Perfectionism is a trap. Most doctors I spoke to felt they had to be “unbreakable.” But real resilience came when they allowed themselves to feel, rest, and ask for help.
Rest is productive. Burnout isn’t caused by weakness. It’s caused by ignoring your limits long enough that your body forces you to stop.
You can’t heal others (or show up fully at work or in relationships) if you're constantly running on empty.
Recovery is slow. Most people didn’t “bounce back.” They changed direction—small, sustainable shifts that made a big difference over time.
I ended up putting all this together in a book called Prescribing Self-Care: The Diagnosis. It’s written through the lens of medicine, but the ideas are relevant to anyone navigating toxic productivity, burnout, or the fear of slowing down.
If you're curious look up 'Prescribing Self Care' on amazon.
No pressure—happy to just discuss this with anyone who relates. What has self-care meant to you, realistically—not idealistically?
I’m also a female physician, mother of two. Last year I had to reduce my workload because of a severe burnout. I’m still healing and coming to terms with the idea that I may never achieve the level I had and everything I worked so hard for may not happen.
I hear you completely. As doctors, we’re so conditioned to keep striving, even at the cost of our own well-being. Choosing to slow down, especially as a mother, takes immense courage. It might feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself, but I truly believe that healing can lead us to a version of life that’s more aligned and sustainable.
You're not alone in this.
I feel so frustrated sometimes, sorrounded by hyperachiving males that do not slow down when becoming parents. I wish I knew before that having children and my own challenges would prevent me from progressing.
It's not easy dealing with burnout and anxiety. Good u see u overcome those
Thank you so much! It definitely took time and a lot of intentional effort. Burnout is so real, especially in our profession — I just hope sharing my experience helps others feel a little less alone in it.
It took me years to recover from an intense burn out after a really stressful period of life and my university studies. It was so bad I couldn't get up so much and I really thought I would not make it. But I accepted my fate. Leaned into the "I don't care anymore because I just can't" for like 2 years, then slowly started to get back on track. I started going outside to walk again, tried to bring back some activity in my life and slowly built up on this. Now I lost close to 80 pounds and I feel better than ever. To my advantage, before that I had a good lifestyle routine which helped. Of course it sucks, I lost very productive years of my life but I have to say, I am happy I didn't off myself when I was at my lowest, because now in my 40's I recovered and I'm enjoying my life. Lesson learned though, I will never fill my cup so much that I can't drink it.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Your story is incredibly powerful — and it’s a reminder that healing isn’t linear, but it is possible, even after the darkest periods
I’m so glad you held on and found your way back to yourself. Your journey is inspiring, especially for those of us still figuring out how to pour from a cup that isn’t constantly overflowing.
Youight really enjoy the book "real self care" by Pooja Lakshmin. She is an Indian doctor, and her ideas are very similar to yours!
I actually haven’t come across her book yet — thank you so much for recommending it! I just looked it up and it sounds like we share a lot of values around realistic boundaries and self‑compassion
I'm loving it so far. She also did a guest spot on an episode of we can do hard things with Glennon Doyle, that's how I stumbled into her. I think the episode has burnout in the title.
Indian doctors? Where were their practices? USA or India?
r/Teachers • [3]Summarize
“Self Care” is BS
Posted by Helen_Cheddar · in r/Teachers · 3 years agoThis whole “remember to practice self care” thing is basically a trap to turn our own well being into a chore that we should feel guilty for not doing and a way to blame burnout on individuals not “practicing enough self care” instead of the jobs and systems that are burning us out. Sincerely, a very cranky public school teacher
You are right. It's total BS. Teachers are burning out and dealing with all sorts of nonsense. Idiots deflect from the real reasons for teacher burn out by inventing this self care scam.
The real self care is getting a better job in my opinion.
School sponsored self care is gaslighting.
Imagine feeling stressed and burnt out so the admin blames you for not effectively practicing self care.
“Real self care is getting a better job”
Wow - where’s my retweet button?
Saying “Remember to practice self care!” is how admin gets to pretend they’re doing something for teachers. They’re not. It’s akin to telling a rock climber “be careful!” and then feeling you’re helping keep the climber safe. It’s just empty, meaningless words.
They need to come out with a line of wines called Self Care, and each individual wine is a different activity we're supposed to be doing.
Self Care Luxurious Bath has hints of lavender and a bubbly texture.
Self Care Workout has notes of citrus and a somewhat musky aftertaste.
Self Care Meditation has a spicy flavor and is best consumed in silence.
This way I can tell my principal I have a date with Meditation tonight, and may even get a Workout in.
Admin sends out weekly updates with the same sticker since last February reading “Self Care is not Selfish” while also reminding us which days we cannot take off due to limited staff and sub shortages.
Or title them the other way around:
Say No to Grading on Weekends with hints of lavender and shea butter.
This Could Have Been an Email infused with notes of rosé and bergamot.
Your Kid’s Issues Aren’t My Fault fermented in a whiskey barrel with coconut oil.
I Need Time to Plan, Not More PD with citrus and mint.
Add in a Self Care Bag of Voodoo Doll Bath bombs of all the terrible people you are forced to deal with everyday day!
OMG copyright this idea right NOW!
That is spot on. I am doing it..I’m taking 4 weeks of Fmla..depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, pre diabetic..I’m using the month to lose weight, stop drinking, and take my life back.
I'm also thinking about doing FMLA for those issues. My husband doesn't want me doing us a sabbatical but I know I need time and even if it's just one week, it would be worth it.
I workout regularly, I eat right, drink water, take vitamins, sleep well, have a good wonderful home life, no money problems, healthy hobbies, and anything else one might suggest as self care. Still, the past school year has been the worst time of my life. Sometimes I hope that something terrible happens to me on my way to work. I have what I think have been anxiety attacks in my classroom where I feel disoriented and the room is spinning. I’m seriously considering taking FMLA for whatever this is. The teaching profession is broken and no amount of self care can fix it.
This is me.
r/medicine • [4]Summarize
Which one: self-care or patient-care?
Posted by hslakaal · in r/medicine · 5 years agoI was revisiting the officially sanctioned SJT questions while prepping for a teaching session for med students and stumbled upon this:
>You are working on a busy paediatric ward. Your shift was meant to finish at 7pm, but it is now 9pm on a Friday, and you are still trying to complete some of your routine tasks from the day. This has happened on a number of occasions in the last month and you feel exhausted as a result. Your workload is also having a negative impact on your social life.
>Rank in order the importance of the following considerations: >A. The impact on your own wellbeing if you are not able to take time to rest >B. The risk to patient safety if working whilst tired >C. Your right to finish at the designated time >D. That your consultant may give you a poor reference if you are not completing your tasks >E. That you are repeatedly disappointing your friends by not attending social events with them
>Ans: BACDE
>This scenario is about maintaining a good work life balance to work effectively and provide good patient care. As a doctor, the care of the patient is your main concern (B). Your own health has to be looked after in order to provide good patient care (A).
I don't know what or why but that's bugging me somewhat. To clarify, the question is not asking whether we should simply leave at 7pm and go home, but rather what has to be our first consideration.
Of course, A leads to B, but why is the patient our main priority? Yes - they are absolutely important, and they definitely are one of the priorities, but why can't we openly acknowledge that we are humans too. Is it not the ethos of a doctor, a nurse, a physio, a pharmacist etc etc to accept that we, as individuals, come before patients? Can we not put ourselves first, and then think about the patient? We're seeing increases in healthcare professionals with mental illnesses, and suicides/self-harm across all grades. No one (save firefighters) would be expected to jump into a fire to save a human, and yet why are we expected to become patients before we put us as first, even in an exam?
/vent.
When on duty, you have a fiduciary duty to your patients, even up to detrimental effects on the physician. However, when not on duty, you have a primary responsibility to yourself to stay healthy and happy and no obligation to pick up extra work. This is sort of a silly question but I don’t disagree with the answer.
I think this is fair: in any specific doctor-patient interaction, you have to put the patient's needs ahead of your own (unless there is an immediate, direct threat to your safety) but in a general approach to your life and career your own well-being should be a priority.
​
The issue is that this is a fairly nuanced position that MCQs can't capture, as evidenced by the angry responses to this post, and the question reinforces harmful medical cultural attitudes. I'm also worried by the implication that option C), your legal rights (and hospital's legal obligations) are secondary to your duties to yourself and patients. Again, it might make sense in this specific scenario, but as a general principle, I can think of several scenarios where this ranking of priorities would be... concerning, to say the last.
I agree completely with your point, but the way I took this question was essentially with the view of "what would be your main reasons considered for exception reporting/asking for job plan review?". Either way, the outcome would be to ask for increased staffing/support, so why is our wellbeing second? :shrug:
That's even their logic in their own description:
> Your own health has to be looked after in order to provide good patient care
It states that B is top priority but that B cannot happen without A. I'm left feeling gaslighted/lit.
SJTs in general often feel to me like they started as a principle ('patient confidentiality is important but not in X, Y or Z') and then had a situation built around them ('you are a junior doctor at night and A, B and Y happen, do you break confidentiality?').
The problem is (and I think that's what happened here) is that the situations are typically not well written. They aren't drafted and tweaked and edited, they're just the first thing that came into the writer's head as they were trying to write 100 questions in two hours late one night.
The point of the question, to me, is that you can't just abandon your patients at 7pm, regardless of the injustice of the position that you're in. In the short term that's absolutely fair. The problem is that in the long term this represents a dysfunctional and unsustainable system that will eventually collapse. That's the 'F' consideration which hasn't even been factored into the question -- the fact that this healthcare system does not have the resources necessary to meet its demand, and that the individual physician is largely powerless to change that.
The exploitation of the short term prerogatives is what ultimately leads to the long term problems. Why hire extra staff to cover an extra ~10-20 hours of work that happens unpredictably throughout the week when you know that your current staff have an ethical obligation to stay and pick up the slack?
I hate this attitude in medicine. I need self care because.. I need self care! A lot of my coworkers think I'm lazy because I say i'm leaving when my shift ends. Why should I stay? There are other doctors here to see the patients. I have finished taking care of my patients and they're all tucked in. What would be seeing another patient do, in the long run, except tire me out even further. I certainly don't get paid anymore for it. My shift is over, and I'm out. That's it.
I think this is the core of the issue. Health care providers historically have martyred themselves for the patients. You get flack from colleagues and management if you don't, but then they can't figure out why everyone is sooo burned out. I'm a PT and we are encouraged to page out to our co-workers if our caseload gets out of hand. Can residents, interns, physicians even ask for help without getting shit on?????
No, not really. It's amazing how quickly burnout happens because once 1900h rolls around I am out of the door as fast as possible. I get frowns and occasional criticisms saying that I could be better prepared if I spent more of my off-time at home preparing for the next day, but it's gotten to the point where I don't care. I'm progressing appropriately and am at least minimally competent. I have no desire to jump through hoops at my own expense to gain the approval of attendings I won't even see once I finish my training. I'm there for my patients when I'm on, but when I'm off I'm fucking off.
IDK, I feel like I was taught to take care of myself so I could adequately take care of others.
I think the deeper issue is that we are constantly shit on for trying to do so on multiple levels.
Yep if you're not in the best mental/physical shape, your patient care will 110% suffer. Do yourself + your patients a favor by taking care of yourself FIRST.
.This looks a lot like the bullshit questions we had in nursing school, “all of these answers are right, but this is the most right.”
I can see them going by this answer chain, just based on urgency. If you’re tired and make some sort of med error or something due to exhaustion, there could be severe patient harm right now. Mental health deterioration, being more susceptible to illnesses from not getting enough rest, your personal life crumbling around you, these are all important things, but they’re slower burns. Some sort of tenable system needs to be figured out, so this sort of overwork doesn’t continue, but that can be worked on tomorrow.
Unfortunately, in the real world, that’s not how it works. There’s always one more patient, one more call, one more box that needs to be checked to get paid, tomorrow is the same as today, and nobody else really gives a shit to try and make the system more manageable and instead just dumps more on you. But maybe if everyone stood up and said, this isn’t working, it’s not safe for patients nor us and we’re not going to work such unreasonable hours anymore, the system would be forced to change.
Something I always appreciated in paramedic school was how hard they emphasized “scene safety”. It was an automatic and critical fail in all training scenarios if your first step was not to immediately assess the scene for your personal safety and hold until it was safe. They were very clear that an injured responder was not only ineffective but a huge burden on the team, and brought overall patient care down.
Nursing school took the complete opposite philosophy. You are literally supposed to let patients fall on you to cushion them from the floor.
r/medicalschooluk • [5]Summarize
How do you avoid burnout in medical school? What are some of the best self-care advice you’ve received as a medical student?
Posted by RedPandaah · in r/medicalschooluk · 6 months agoStart early for work. That way you can keep it lower than max intensity. You don’t need to work all day everyday. Put your mind to getting the minimum required done. Then after that, keep it low intensity bc that’s just extra. Med school is pass and fail rlly. PIA is bullshit. I’d tell you to quit and go study something else unless you have the dumb thing in your head of wanting to help people that a lot of the rest of us have.
I say this to say, when you realise, you’re not that important where you missing your MCQs for the day doesn’t mean that the world is gonna suffer that much, you give yourself more room to breathe. You missing a day of studying isn’t you disrespecting your future patients or your future self and career. Get the minimum done, and then low effort add to that.
If you focus on getting the minimum done, everything else after you can plan around your life rather than the opposite. Focus on your friends or your family or your health or your hobbies or whatever tf matters to you.
It’s not the end of the world for you or the rest of the population if you don’t become a doctor. One person really isn’t that important.
No one gives a fuck about you. Try to give a fuck about yourself. I say this in the most comforting way possible.
Ps. Coming from a very jaded post finals student. I promise you, you don’t need to study all day. I think I might’ve managed to pass my finals and I really only started being a med student in January of my first attempt at 4th year. I’m not exaggerating. I hadn’t used passmed until then. Med school is a joke. Even after I started studying, if the amount I did is enough to pass, I promise you med school is bullshit. You learn to be a dr once you start working according to everyone I’ve ever spoken to. Med school is just another bullshit hoop you gotta jump through which isn’t really a very accurate metric. The fact I think I might’ve made it means it’s bs. Get through and then commit yourself to trying to learn and improve a bit everyday and keep the patients at the top of your priorities always.
Don’t be exceptional, don’t go to the ward, bare minimum to pass each time. That’s the thing I’ve realised about medicine. You gotta jump each hurdle but if you try and jump unnecessarily high you’re gunna tire and trip over one.
This attitude will just lead to a larger problem. Yes you’ll get through medical school with minimal stress but you’ll face stiff competition for postgraduate training soon after. As an F2, I have many colleagues who are scrambling to make up for lost time now.
Aim for your definition of excellence, not someone else’s. Mediocrity should not be the goal in any facet of your life.
Take a mental health day every so often. Blank timetable on a random Wednesday? Go for a swim, a hike, the movies, see a middle-distance friend, go shopping, whatever helps you reconnect to yourself and feel truly rested :) it’s good to take a day off.
For me, it was learning to brutally prioritise. I’m not going to spend all days on the wards if I’ve realistically gotten everything that I could out of today’s session. I’m not going to go to a 4 hour lecture when I can just do the work at home. I’m not going to bother with any optional communication skills shit. Focus on what is absolutely necessary for you to get where you want to be, put your energy into that, and then just do the bare minimum for everything else.
Absolutely this. Unless your attendance is being monitored, feel free to skip whatever you can. As long as you’re actually doing the work in your own time, there’s really no issue. Take the time to focus on your life outside of uni, and to decompress
This. I've seen keen beans be like "oh no I need to maximise my time on the wards" and as an FY1 I've told the ones with me, lads if you want to go home I'm not one bit offended.
I often missed days, left early, I just couldn't focus after eight hours of wards/clinic to do work so I instead went hell for leather in the hours I was in and when 6pm hit, no study, that's me time.
I often look at people who not only completed Quesmed and Passmed but like, multiple times. I didn't get through half of it. I also asked a lot of stupid questions of the foundation doctors and consultants I was in with so learned the basics very well ha ha
What if every comms skills is mandatory though 😭.
100% agree with this though, it's a game of prioritisation.
cannot reccomend this enough!!!
This is the way!
The biggest thing for me was coming to terms mentally with the fact that I won't know everything, will feel constantly lost, out of my depth and like I don't deserve to be here or aren't smart enough. Nearly all of the battle against burnout is mental, and if you understand early on that these feelings are normal, and that everyone around you feels the same way (even if they don't show it, look like they are coping fine or brag about being so far ahead).
Other things that helped...
don't feel like you need to be present on placement constantly. Until the very last rotation of 5th year when you have passed all of your exams, being on placement 9-5 isn't going to be the best use of your time. I used to spend half the day on placement and half the day studying, and this was my golden ratio.
little & often > cramming always. Start early, map out your revision and you will thank yourself later. For finals in May, I started revision in September, I did a little a week and come April, a month before the exam, I had covered everything, had time to go over the bits I still struggled with. I'm glad I didn't cram as it's killer for your mental health.
find a study technique that works for you. I personally found flashcards (anki or physical) the best alongside questions on passmed. I ditched notes early on and was very thankful.
ALWAYS have a day each week study free. It works wonders for your mental health! Make this, and spending time with friends and family a priority and you will have hacked med school life!
Hope this helps... From a GP trainee who avoided burnout in med school by doing the above.
r/medschool • [6]Summarize
What to do before starting med school?
Posted by Redditto2468 · in r/medschool · 5 months agoAny current students have any tips on what self-care, habits, and tasks to work on before starting medical school? I don't mean pre-studying of course but in terms of learning to cook or working on anxiety/mindfulness. Things you wish you knew before?
Figure out your favorite brand of coffee and make it at home.
Learn to cook a couple of your favorite comfort dishes.
Get into an exercise routine if you’re not already.
Figure out how to batch cook/meal prep a few recipes.
For workout routine, get something you can knock out in 20-30 minutes (or be a runner).
If you have the luxury of space, separate your spaces out for sleep vs. studying vs. chilling. Try not to intermix the spaces.
If you suck at technology like me, learn to use Anki before school starts.
Invest in some high-quality, over-ear noise cancelling headphones.
Buy new clothes (for school) they need to be pretty and also adventurous, with a bit creative twist, then you go to Sephora and spend 800$ (good for the soul), go buy an stethoscope (cheap one, you're going to loose it immediately) and start bragging about it until a (licensed) doctor tells you to shut up, learn to be in your lane, and also try bleaching your hair and then going bald (do it on a Thursday so it's a surprise) crash your car and come out without injuries, have a boyfriend that is in an Indie Punk-Metal-Reggeton band (it's really bad but he's really hot)
At least that's what I did, hope it helps
Learn how to make a quick meal because most people I know of end up eating takeout. Personally I like a lot of frozen veggies packets, and meats I can cook in the air fryer like fish. I also eat a lot of chicken dumplings.
Edit: frozen veggies includes brussels sprouts (my favorite), corn + carrot + pea mix, riced cauliflower, other hardier veggies
learn how to detach ur emotions. cz ppl here are kinda toxic
relax and prepare a schedule, work out / meal prepping ahead of time works wonders for me, i did laundry once a week, would meal prep on weekends for the week coming up, id cook steaks / pastas / chicken / rice anything i was in the mood for, id make sure i got sunlight and i HAD to keep my coffee / caffeine sources restocked consistently. i relied heavily on tea and energy drinks lmfao, just keep a healthy lifestyle, once you have a good routine for your body and mind, school gets so much easier. don’t lack on your health, in first semester of M1, i definitely should’ve done more at the start but near the middle / end i realized what needed to be done in terms of housekeeping and just general caring of myself, it helps a lot especially when i compare myself to a year ago :p im much much healthier i look and i feel much better and it’s noticeable to those around me and it works wonders on your mental! goodluck <3
r/medicalschool • [7]Summarize
Med school has absolutely obliterated my self-esteem
Posted by [deleted] · in r/medicalschool · 2 years agoI used to feel so confident in myself and my abilities. I wouldn't say I was ever overly confident, but now I don't think it could be any worse. I've had surgeons tell me to be kinder to myself because I'm constantly saying stuff like "don't worry I'm not important". Lately my brain has telling me that I don't have what it takes to do anything remotely surgical, even though I seem to be the happiest on my surgery rotation out of all.
I don't really know why I'm posting this. I just feel like crap all the time because all I am in this hospital is the village idiot who cannot contribute to a single thing.
I feel like I might go insane at this rate. I'm too far in to say I can't do this anymore (and have scholarships I couldn't possibly pay back) and my mind keeps telling me the only way to get out of it is to end it all. If it wasn't for my friends and family, I probably would.
I can empathize with you alot here. I went through a tough breakup largely related to me being in medical school and that in combination with constantly being reminded in a hospital that you are not that useful is extremely difficult. I wish I had better suggestions for u bc I am struggling with alot of the same things myself.
I have been working on my mindset of trying to appreciate the little victories I get, and also remembering to socialize in contexts outside of medical school. This may be a sign that u need to take some more u time to catch up on ur favorite show and get back into a hobby u have been ignoring bc med school bums u out (happened to me for sure)
Wish u nothing but the best
Med school is super infantilizing, especially for med students who are particularly self sufficient and self motivated prior to medical school. Med school sucks up so much time, holds your future career over your head while pointing at the debt that will be insurmountable without a physician's salary; it takes away control of your time, any actual decision making capacity, sends you into a high-stakes foreign building of the dead and dying, and tells you that you have to be more than excellent, all without actually letting you make a single decision that isn't checked and altered by at least three people. You have no autonomy, little agency, and almost no indication of success or failure outside of the extremes. It's like someone designed a system to cause depression tbh.
Residency is very different, and being an attending is almost the exact opposite of medical school, and honestly if you were doing great and loved the structure of medical school then I wouldn't be surprised if you did poorly in residency.
You are a student, you're not supposed to be able to contribute a lot to diagnosis, treatment, and procedures. It makes sense that you would be the worst at doing it. If you were better than the residents in that specialty it'd be unusual. The best things students do in my opinion is participate in the good vibes that make the day a little easier for everyone.
I do worry that it's getting too overwhelming from what you're writing. You're mentioning a lot of things that sound like a longer depression. Lots and LOTS of students can be pushed into depression in medical school. I really recommend reaching out to someone about it, I know our school had therapists and psychiatrists associated with it who were all wonderful and confidential. Everything is temporary except death, if you ever start to feel like death is better than living then you should reach out to someone, and if you ever decide how to make yourself die then please call 911. It is important that you are here and your life adds so much value to the world and those around you. Nothing is worth your death.
>self sufficient and self motivated prior to medical school
mommy
>Med school is super infantilizing, especially for med students who are particularly self sufficient and self motivated prior to medical school.
All of grad school is infantilizing period. I've run several small businesses in a competitive industry before med school and an attempted master's. I hate the how some professors seem to be unable to grasp that certain 'failures' in academia are compromises to prioritize something more important. Like okay, Becky, I'm sure your assignment was more important than the livelihood that pays for this degree.
Disagree. I did my PhD as well as my MD. Med school was chafing especially after my PhD - I had so much autonomy and made so many decisions.
Disagree. I did my PhD as well as my MD. Med school was chafing especially after my PhD - I had so much autonomy and made so many decisions.
Disagree. I did my PhD as well as my MD. Med schoolaq was chafing especially after my PhD - I had so much autonomy and made so many decisions.
idk i went to grad school/business school and our profs treated us like adults. it was great actually so maybe i just got lucky. with med school profs, you’d think we were a bunch of 4 year olds lol
I want to put something in perspective to you stats wise. Looking at this Reddit group alone, there is an overwhelming majority of people desperate to get accepted to med school. I’ve just started the pre med journey as a non trad.
You’re at the show. You got accepted. Your abilities are amazing.
When I was in group therapy, I learnt the number one thing depressed people have in common - which is sounds you have symptoms of - is inadequacy. Be kind to yourself. The surgeons didn’t reach that skill level overnight. Be patient, you got this
If you can’t be a gunner just be a good person and work hard. 🙂
You’re good fam!
-bottom quartile student reporting for duty! 🫡
We got this!
I can strongly relate to you feel, especially back when I was an M3. Imposter syndrome combined with the tough (often toxic) hospital environment can wear on you. In addition to the wonderful sentiments shared by other posters, I have but one piece of advice, paraphrased from Better by Atul Gawande, himself a world-renowned surgeon and author:
>The only talent is the talent for practice itself
Oftentimes we imagine that because we are interested and want to be good at something, that we should have a naturally competency as well. But that's simply not true. Progress is 10 steps forward and 9 steps back in a shuffled order. As long as you turn each failure, frustration, and success into a meaningful reflection and actionable way to improve, you'll find that you'll eventually pull through in the long run.
>I used to feel so confident in myself and my abilities
After a lifetime of failures and successes, I've learned to reframe this as "I'm confident in my dedication to improvement, and my persistence in the face of obstacles" as opposed to "I'm confident I'm going to perform at a high level."
Hang in there, feel free to DM
r/Mcat • [8]Summarize
Friendly Reminder: Self-Care is Important
Posted by [deleted] · in r/Mcat · 5 years agoMake sure you set aside time for self-care during this grind period. A positive mindset will carry on to your studies! We got this.
Don’t athletes and trainers have a saying? Something like “recovery IS training”. It’s equally important to the work you put in.
That said, i was doing content review up until 1 am before the real thing, so if youre pressed for time sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Burn out gang
Absolutely. There is only so much you can do before you start to get diminishing returns and impact performance. I went from studying 3 hours a day, to an emphasis on practice and cut review down to 1.5 hours. And my performance has increased. Follow a process, and make adjustments. That's my motto at least.
Hell yea
This right here folks
r/medicalschool • [9]Summarize
The one thing I learned from 4th year is to have some self-respect
Posted by buckbeak_111 · in r/medicalschool · 3 years agoMed students are professional people pleasers. As premeds, we went the extra mile, volunteered for everything, tried to impress attendings when shadowing, kept a stellar CV, sold ourselves the best we could during med school interviews.
In med school, we dialed this up by about 1000%
As an MS4 doing audition rotations and interviewing, at some point in the past few weeks, I just kind of stopped. If a program doesn't want me, I don't want them. It's not personal, but if they don't see me as a "good fit", I don't want to spend the next few years trying to convince them I belong. If I'm not interested in volunteering or research or joining x committee, I'm not doing it just so I can sell myself to some higher up that could care less about me. In residency, I won't let anyone gaslight me into thinking doing extra work is an honor I should be grateful for. And I am going to define an maintain boundaries with my patients and hospital staff.
I'm done feeling like I need to sell myself or impress anyone. I do my job well, try to get better every day, and that's good enough for me.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk
I’ve only started to learn this mentality recently, now as a PGY4. I’ve said it before, the worst thing about medical school was that it cost me my ability to feel proud about my accomplishments.
If I had to do it over, I’d pick a specialty and a program that values me for more than my publications and step scores and token urm status. In retrospect, so much of this hasn’t been worth the battle.
Non-trad M-3 here. Medical students are some of the hardest working and compassionate people (with some exceptions of course). It's ridiculous how much we torture ourselves to please others just so we can be competitive enough to follow our dreams.
Its not burn-out to set boundaries and be happy with who you are. Best of luck friend.
(Non-trad MS3 as well) I try to get my younger classmates to understand that they need to speak up for themselves and not roll over on every single thing.
Prime example: getting texted at 8pm with the names of patients we should be seeing by 530. What is that? I'm a student. But btw, I wouldn't be okay with that shit even if I was a resident.
I'm not THAT old, by there was a time when your job didn't have 24/7 access to you. "The privilege of medicine" is a lie perpetuated by people trying to prevent you from ever saying no. You can honored to be a physician AND a person who needs sleep and boundaries. Burnout will continue to be a problem unless physicians can learn to advocate for themselves.
You're way ahead of the curve, OP.
Many people don't learn this until they're attendings (if ever).
I work at a semi-academic institution. Most of us are RVU based, but some are paid hourly.
We're constantly asked to do bullshit that higher ups want us to do for free. Be on this committee, join this work group, present a powerpoint to these PA students, be a "mentor" for a resident, etc, etc. Of course none of this is compensated and is generally done well outside my normal working hours.
For the first year I played off most things by saying I was too new of an attending or I was still trying to learn the system and wouldn't be of much help doing (whatever task they were asking).
But within the past few months after they announced two mandatory, unpaid EMR trainings in the middle of my holiday vacation I decided fuck 'em. If they have no respect for me, I'll stop pretending.
So now when I'm asked to do something I just say, "No thanks, I value my time off" and move on. It's a job. If you don't like it, fire me, I'll find another one.
Good call all around.
Respect my boundaries and I'll work with you. Don't respect them, and I won't.
A recent one was when the clinic called while I was out of town and started the rapid fire questions about what they should do with a patient who was in the office and hypoglycemic.
- You know I'm out of town, right? Literally sitting in NYC, 600 miles away, waiting for a Broadway show (Aladdin, I think it was) to start?
- Yes, but the patient is hypoglycemic...
- And? Is (Dr Z) there? How about (PA D)?
- Yes, but they're seeing patients...
- Either pull one out of a patient room or call EMS. I'm not performing patient management over the phone.
- But...
- No. Either you get one of them to manage it, or you call an ambulance. This call is over, and I will not be answering further.
“Spoke with MD Flaxmoore, MD Aware, no orders given”
Fully agree. The day before I submitted my ERAS, one of my school’s student affairs faculty cautioned me about my PS as it could be a little “controversial” given I talked about my SES and upbringing and how it relates to a highly politicized topic. Whenever she asked me at the end what I felt I should do given her concern I straight up told her - “it’s my story. If a PD doesn’t like it or it’s too political for them then frankly I don’t want to go to a place where I have to be someone I’m not or tone down who I am for them to be comfortable with me or even accept me. Why would I want to spend 3 more years proving myself or even being directed by someone who has an issue with my story? I’m not changing it and if it costs me some interviews, oh well - there’ll be plenty of other places who see it as a strength.”
This! I referenced my upbringing in an extreme religious cult in my personal statement. I was worried I wouldn’t get into med school with it because everyone always says avoid religion and politics. However, it is my story and my path to medicine. I can’t just make some bullshit up.
You know what. For a long time I was worried that my PS was too personal, but you know what, it selected for the places that would actually give a shit about the same things I do.
Thank you for this.
I really hope this mentality will be more common for new inductees. The career in itself is already insanely stressful. Why are we expected to jump every hoop there is? Aren’t we worthy of free time? And when do I get to have my personality? I feel like most of the things I do are for the sake of a beefed up résumé. And this is especially pronounced in this particular field.
“Half of life is lost in charming others.
The other half is lost in going through anxieties caused by others.
Leave this play. You have played enough.”
― Rumi
Really needed to hear this right now. Thank you.
r/medschool • [10]Summarize
Question for med students
Posted by mental-exhaustion123 · in r/medschool · 4 months agoWhat are some studying tips that always work for you? And what are some ways you personally incorporate self-care or balance school/personal life to avoid stress and burnout? How do you carve out that time for yourself?
Use spaced repetition (anki). Prioritize time for your hobbies and things you love, even if that means less studying.
This. Also UWorld/NBME are excellent. Do the question and review them. And try not to fall behind, even if it means less "new" stuff the next day.
Make it a goal to find balance between your life, school, and goals. Don't be afraid to take time off. I personally feel like if you're studying for >40 hours a week or only sleeping <7 hours a day during didactics, you're doing something terribly wrong. You don't need 10+ publications and everything honors unless you're aiming for an extremely competitive specialty AND location. You can put in 100% maximum effort and get 90-100% of the outcome, or you can put in 75% of the effort and get 75-85% of the outcome. At the end of the day, you'll more than likely graduate and become a doctor.
I studied for like 15-20 hours/week and slept a minimum of 8 hours every day during didactics. Had a research project here, got involved in like 2 clubs that I really liked, and spent most of my day with my family and friends. Passed every exam with a comfortable margin, never pulled an all-nighter, took every weekend and holiday off, passed Step 1 first time, and thoroughly enjoyed my time.
The thing I was taught and now tell others is that medical school isn't necessarily difficult; it's just a lot. If you find a way to manage your time and work smarter, you'll be just fine.
My biggest studying tips are (1) doing practice questions before I feel “ready” to do them and (2) taking breaks every hour! I’ve found that when I don’t, I start to feel super stressed out and bogged down so the information feels a lot more difficult to wrap my head around than it should be. I’ve also found that the periods where I’m maintaining my exercise routine, I have an easier time taking in information and actually retaining it.
I find balance by intentionally taking time off. I take a full day off from studying/everything school related every week, and I treat school like a full time job (instead of treating it like my whole life). So I wake up, exercise, study (with breaks every hour and a one hour break during the noon hour for lunch), then cut off school-related tasks at 8 PM so I have time to myself to eat and relax before bed. Having this type of schedule (and making sure I’m sleeping 8 hours a night) really has helped me avoid burnout!
The one full day off (which I take on Saturdays) has helped me really find time for myself, too. :)
Biggest study tip is to be open minded to what kind of studying will work best for you as a med student. In undergrad I was a hardcore study guide maker/handwritten notes person and did great, I tried it in med school and it did not work at all. Switched to Anki, stopped focusing so heavily on making my own notes, and started seeing a lot of improvement in my exam scores. Biggest mantra I repeated to myself during this process of learning how I like to study is: if something’s not working, change a variable. Not meaning to be fickle, but more so be ready to adapt. Sometimes, I would need to adapt my studying based on the system we were learning. And don’t compare your studying to others. If you’re the sole note taker out of an entire class of Anki-ers, but note taking works for you, then so be it. :)
Next biggest study tip is to take naps/sleep. You may feel pressured to study until your brain explodes, but after a certain point no amount of studying will help and it is no longer efficient use of your time. Give yourself those breaks. In fact, tell yourself that your academic performance will actually improve because you took that nap, did that work out, went for a walk outside, spent time with your family, or took the time to cook your favorite meal at home.
Be intentional with the opportunities you take on, such as research, volunteering, leadership, etc. In my experience, there are so many opportunities to get involved, so be deliberate with your time because the academic rigor of med school is no joke. With the limited free time you have, you will have to put aside time for yourself, your relationships, your personal interests, and your professional/academic interests and responsibilities. You don’t want to over commit yourself and burn out. Treat your own time as precious too!
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importance of self-care in medical school
Key Considerations for Self-Care in Medical School
Mental Health: Medical school can be incredibly stressful, leading to anxiety and burnout. Prioritizing self-care helps maintain mental well-being and resilience.
Physical Health: Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep are crucial for sustaining energy levels and cognitive function, which are essential for studying and patient care.
Work-Life Balance: Engaging in hobbies and social activities outside of medical studies fosters a sense of normalcy and helps prevent feelings of isolation.
Time Management: Effective self-care involves managing time wisely to include breaks and downtime, which can enhance productivity and focus during study sessions.
Support Systems: Building a network of peers, mentors, and support groups can provide emotional support and practical advice, making the journey more manageable.
Takeaways:
Prioritize Self-Care: Make it a non-negotiable part of your routine. Schedule time for exercise, relaxation, and socializing.
Seek Help When Needed: Don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Many schools offer counseling services.
Practice Mindfulness: Techniques such as meditation or yoga can help reduce stress and improve concentration.
Recommendation: Incorporate self-care practices into your daily routine, such as setting aside time for physical activity, practicing mindfulness, and ensuring you have a support network. This proactive approach will not only enhance your well-being but also improve your academic performance and patient interactions in the long run.
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