Alexa G.
Photo provided by Alexa G.
If you’re reading this, don’t let the struggles of medical school allow you to lose sight of yourself or your passion to become a physician.
Medical school is hard enough without the added pressure of balancing mental health. A physician I once worked with before starting medical school once told me “It’s not an if, but a when” while discussing antidepressants or anxiety medications and their use among medical students and trainees. Getting ready to start my first year of medical school, this was one of many things I was getting used to hearing, preparing for what I was told would be some of the most rewarding but hardest years of my life. And while I am just now finishing my first year, I can tell you they were right. This past year has been simultaneously both one of the hardest but also most rewarding years of my life, and I know it will only continue to climb from here.
Everyone tells you to find your “work-life balance” early on in school, to find that line that creates a healthy boundary in your life of working hard but not overworking yourself. The only problem is that line is ever changing. Sometimes I’ll find a block of information that comes more naturally and get to move that line for a little more free time- more time outside, more time to call friends, or more time to spend exploring the city. It feels good to get into a groove of spending more time doing the things I love, but I also try to remember that not every block is like this. There have been blocks where I was never able to answer my phone for a week because I’m busy working so hard to get through the material, and suddenly I find that line was wiggled its way to consume that precious free time. So if you don’t figure out what this balance looks like for you, just know that it flows and changes every day. Find the things that you know you can’t live without (whether literally or just the things that make you an enjoyable person) and find the time to make these things a priority. For me, that’s spending time outside in the sunshine and catching up with friends. Medical school often can make you feel like you’re in a bubble, which to be fair school is all-consuming. But don’t forget that life is still moving outside of your bubble, and don’t let it isolate you!
If you’re reading this, hug your friend. Call that family member. Talk to your therapist. Medical school is hard, but you are worth it & you will make it through.
Alexa G., Second Year Medical Student
Q: What made you want to get involved with IfYoureReadingThis, and why did you want to bring this to medical school?
A: For as long as I remember, mental health has been a part of my life in some way. In high school and the beginning of undergrad, it was struggles with who I wanted to become and how to get through the day/semester/year. As my time in college progressed, the focus shifted to how can I help others to not feel how I felt, how can I show them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I started to feel drawn to supporting my peers in all sorts of fashions, through their studies or extracurriculars. As I started medical school, I started to watch the struggles I had always dealt with multiply, I knew that the need for peer support in the medical community was as dire as I had always seen on social media. After learning about IfYoureReadingThis during my time at Clemson as an undergrad, I knew that medical students at my program as well as across the country could benefit from having a community of inclusivity shedding light on the struggles of mental health in medicine.
Q: What does advocacy mean to you?
A: In my simplest words, I believe that advocacy involves standing up for your beliefs and showing your support for others. I have always loved the advocacy IfYoureReadingThis brings to the world of mental health. There is so much power in being able to pull up a page full of people you may know and realizing that someone else out there is going through something similar to you. It provides a sense of togetherness, and has so much power to remind you that you are not alone- something that many people struggling with mental health often experience. Moving through medical school, Stethos[Cope] helps medical students to advocate for themselves and each other. This platform gives students the opportunity to continue to advocate for those that will come after them, and set a new outlook on mental health in medicine. Showing support for others who struggle with mental health and reminding them that no one is ever alone is one of the most powerful ways to be an advocate for those & their journey with mental wellness.
Q: How do/did you manage the stress of preclinical training, such as learning high volumes of detailed information and increased levels of competition?
A: When everyone told me medical school would be like drinking water from a firehose, I expected to feel like information was getting dumped on me left & right, and they were 100% right. The volumes of information we learn as medical students is so extreme, sometimes I sit back and look at all of the lectures and information we’ve learned thus far and I seriously wonder how it is all in my brain. Honestly, the biggest thing I’ve learned about this so far is that you do find a way and it continues. Preclinical years are so fast paced, that the only way out is through, and pretty quickly you find that you’re moving through the information regardless of how much is coming at you. Start small with your changes to your study habits—if what you did worked in the past, obviously it worked for a reason & just because people are saying you HAVE to try this new resource doesn’t mean you will fail without it (talk about resource overload). Competition in medical school is inevitable in my opinion. Some schools can definitely be better than others, but regardless there will always be some level of competition between peers. Find the people around you that work harder to build you up than tear you down, no matter where you go you will find true genuine people that want to see you succeed.
Q: What has your journey with coping been like thus far? What do you hope others take away from your journey?
A: I would be absolutely lying if I told you I had all my coping strategies figured out just one year into my journey. Some days my coping strategies work great, and others not so much. Something I always like to remind myself is that today is today, and tomorrow is a new day. This works both for the good and the bad- on those great days when you find so much joy with friends and family or check everything off your to-do list, remind yourself that today was great, and to try to carry it onto tomorrow so it can be even better. But on those bad days, where maybe you aren’t productive, tomorrow is an entirely new day with a clean slate. Knowing that each day starts off anew with that clean slate is something that has been so empowering for me throughout my first year- because trust me, there are days when I might not even open my laptop to study. Let this also be a reminder to listen to your body- take those breaks when you need & don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone is different and has different limits, even day to day. Treat yourself with grace just like you’ll treat your patients one day.
Q: What’s your hope for IfYoureReadingThis and Stethos[Cope]?
A: When I think about the future of IfYoureReadingThis and Stethos[Cope], I think about the possibility this organization has at inspiring and helping students across the country. IfYoureReadingThis has already been doing such an amazing job at doing this, with chapters at undergraduate campuses from coast to coast, and this inspired me to bring this support into my current stage of life in medical school. I hope medical students and professionals across the country are able to read letters from Stethos[Cope] and resonate with something on any level, whether they had a similar experience or knew someone that did. I hope all those people out there are able to see these things and know that they are not and will never be alone with the hardships that medical training brings. If just one person is able to feel that way and know there is a future where mental health might carry less stigma in medicine, I know this project will have served its purpose.
Several studies have revealed that medical students, physicians, and healthcare professionals experience mental health symptoms at rates significantly higher than the general population. Stethos[Cope] is a chapter of IfYoureReadingThis designed to help medical students and professionals cope with the unique stressors of medical training and change the narrative of mental health in medicine.
To read more letters and interviews from students, and to learn more about mental health in the medical community, visit the Stehos[Cope] home page.