Getting Overwhelmed in Medical School

Feeling overwhelmed in medical school is normal. It is important to make sure that you have ways of coping with feeling overwhelmed and don't allow it to affect your day to day life.

There are plenty of reasons for feeling overwhelmed. You may be overwhelmed with the amount of work, the stress of making friends, or just the responsibility that you may feel as you approach your graduation to become a doctor.

You shouldn't feel like you need to be on your A-game all of the time - doctors aren't either so you should not put that pressure on yourself. It is perfectly fine to step back and say that you need some time to evaluate and decompress. There is absolutely no shame in being overwhelmed.

You might find certain topics or things that you witness distressing, whether it be talking about certain illnesses or seeing a cadaver in the dissection room. It can be easy to become panicked and feel as though you have to push through these feelings because as a medic you're supposed to be able to deal with it - that's not the case.

Having a difficult time with blood or being overwhelmed by talking about death does not make you any less worthy of being a medic, and it is so important to let someone know how you are feeling so that you can find healthy ways of coping with these feelings. Some things in medicine are unavoidable, but that doesn't mean you have to like it! Sometimes you just need to find a healthy way of dealing with things.

Talking to your peers about your feelings can be really useful in letting you know that you're not alone in feeling overwhelmed or having a tough time.

The likelihood is that someone else is feeling the exact same way as you but is too scared to come forward.

The most important thing is that you should not feel ashamed in not being perfect. Instead, you should feel empowered in recognising and accepting that you have the strength to admit when you are struggling.

Some ways to help with feeling overwhelmed at medical school are understanding that you're not alone, taking things day by day and break tasks down into small steps, don't try and do everything. The best doctors aren't perfect, but competent, fine-tune your studying. Knowing the best ways of learning that work for you is really important in maximizing your time and reducing stress, and understanding that grades aren't everything. Passing, not perfection, is what's important.

By Aisia Lea.