The genuine problems of medical school accompany the tremendous opportunities. You’re in a strange place with strangers, taking challenging classes that will test your ability to manage your time well. Furthermore, in order to improve your prospects of being admitted into a residency programme, you feel pressure to perform exceptionally well academically.

High levels of anxiety are frequently caused by the extreme strain and stress that medical students experience.

The good news is that anxiety is something you can manage. These strategies will hopefully assist you in managing stress for the duration of your medical career.

1. Pay Attention To What You Eat

Your body’s nutrient intake has an impact on anxiety levels. Let’s face it, sometimes studying late at night while eating pizza is unavoidable. However, that shouldn’t be an excuse to give up!

Keeping up a balanced diet will lower your stress levels and improve your learning process! Plan your meals in advance if you know you’ll be busy for a while; this will give you one less thing to worry about and make it easier for you to stick to a healthy diet.

Steer clear of habits like binge drinking, using drugs, or stress eating. After a hard day, drinks could help you relax, but it’s far better to manage your stress with good habits.

2. Get Adequate Sleep

This one can be difficult, particularly for students studying in medical school. When your schedule is hectic, sleep is frequently the first thing to go. Even though you might not be able to sleep for eight hours every night, try to get as much rest as you can.

Your brain will retain all of the information you gained during the day with the aid of sleep. Instead of attempting to make up for the lack of sleep from the previous night, getting a good night’s sleep can help you start each day feeling refreshed and ready to learn more.

3. Focus On Being Mindful

Having mindfulness under your belt might help you manage challenging emotions like anxiety. The goal of mindfulness practice is to intentionally focus on your thoughts and feelings in the here and now, without passing judgement.

For instance, take a moment to acknowledge and feel your feelings of worry and anxiety the next time they arise.

How does your body feel in relation to this stress?

What’s going through your head?

What took place for you to feel this way? Did something happen around you, or were you just thinking about something?

Go one step beyond and record it in a journal. You can better understand the processes your mind is going through by writing.

Read More About Managing Your Mental Health At Medical School

After some time spent engaging in mindfulness practices, you will begin to identify the specific symptoms of anxiety you experience and understand the reasons behind them.

You can take immediate action to halt anxiety as soon as you sense it starting. You might take precautions to avoid them or give them less significance if you find that particular items regularly make you feel anxious.

Whatever it is, the first step to managing anxiety is practicing mindfulness and paying attention to how you feel about yourself.

4. Prioritise Exercise>/h4>

Make and stick to a regular workout programme to let go of any excess energy and stress. You may always try to move more throughout the day, even if you don’t feel like you have time for a full workout.

You can use your breaks to stretch, go for a block walk, or use the stairs.

Extra points if you can find a physical activity that you look forward to and enjoy. It’s a fantastic and healthful way to let off steam!

5. Embrace A Growth Mindset

It is your responsibility to study and develop during your time in medical school, not to become an expert. You’re not done learning yet!

You will constantly be learning new things and honing your skills even as a working doctor. Rather than criticising your ignorance, concentrate on expanding your knowledge.

Adopting a growth mindset entails accepting a lifelong learning path and thinking that solving puzzles and overcoming obstacles will increase your intelligence. Failures are teaching moments that will benefit you in the future.

You’ll be able to manage your anxiety and become a better doctor in the long run if you put more emphasis on your potential for growth and learning than on your apparent shortcomings.

Reach Out For Support

It’s not unique to you that there have been challenging times during medical school. Teachers can be an excellent source of advise because they have watched students go through similar experiences year after year.

Make use of any counselling or other support services offered by your school! Consulting with an expert can assist you in devising a successful strategy to manage the anxiety that accompanies medical school.

Another excellent source of motivation is your friends and family. Reaching out to someone outside of your medical school social circle can serve as a wonderful reminder that others are interested in you, no matter how well you do academically.

It’s no laughing matter to manage the anxiety that accompanies medical school. By following these methods, you can overcome it and emerge from it as a more competent physician.

That’s why Better:Gen is working the University of Dundee to establish establish a strong support system to help students in medical school when facing anxiety and depression.