I'm burning out

[Med Life Crisis]

Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough to be here and that I got accepted to medical school by chance. They say med school is a marathon, but I feel like since the beginning, I've been sprinting non-stop without legs. 

I'm not depressed or suicidal, just incredibly tired and frustrated. 

I just need to vent "un-professionally". There is no other purpose for this post. 

[la marzocco]

Hey, based on your year of graduation, I presume this is your first term in med? It might just be a phase in which you are adjusting your type of learning and adapting to how med schools mark. Are you close with any upper years or people in your year? It may be helpful to discuss coping strategies and learn about how others learn? Obviously we all learn differently, but it doesn't hurt to hear other people's strategies, etc. Sherbrooke went through a curriculum change so upper years may be of less help, but I think mental and emotional support is key.

Also, if you are having trouble, try to reach out to profs earlier on. Expressing your concern professionally shows care for your own progress and people will appreciate that. Be constructive. You can do it! 

[Monkey D. Luffy]

You're not the only one. I've felt like that many times, and I'm still in 2nd year. Sometimes I feel like I am not as smart as my classmates and that I can't keep up with everything. What I've found that helps is to find something that you love to do and that recharges your batteries and make time for it. Your wellness is as important, if not more, than all other things you have to juggle as a medical student. For me, that's cooking a nice meal for myself and my SO. For others it could be a sport, an instrument, reading, arts, or even just watching some Netflix.

Another thing I want to mention, because it's really important, is to ensure that you are getting physical exercise! When I make the time to get in the gym a few times a week or go for a run, I feel infinitely better. I feel that I am more energized, and more focused mentally such that I can be efficient and get a lot more done, while feeling less burnt out.

This journey we have embarked on is a long one, and it is vital to seek out and recognize the things that will make us want to wake up the next day to keep going at it.

 

[rmorelan]

3 hours ago, Med Life Crisis said:

Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough to be here and that I got accepted to medical school by chance. They say med school is a marathon, but I feel like since the beginning, I've been sprinting non-stop without legs. 

I'm not depressed or suicidal, just incredibly tired and frustrated. 

I just need to vent "un-professionally". There is no other purpose for this post. 

"impostor syndrome"? 

vent away - to say it is anything other than a grind would be lying for sure.  

[Mithril]

I felt burned out many times during my training in med school and in residency. You're not suffering alone. But now I love what I do. It's important to not let the workload consume you. Spending time with friends and family and doing hobbies outside of medicine will keep you healthy and sane. It feels liberating to finally be out of school.

[brady23]

Yup, burnout is a real thing. The volume of information we're required to learn is immense. I was feeling tired and frustrated as well in the early months, but you will adapt and find a good balance, it just takes time. I can't stress how taking time for yourself is important - whether it's going for a run or taking a day off from school. You'll make it,  and the feelings you have are completely normal.   

[brady23]

21 hours ago, Monkey D. Luffy said:

You're not the only one. I've felt like that many times, and I'm still in 2nd year. Sometimes I feel like I am not as smart as my classmates and that I can't keep up with everything. What I've found that helps is to find something that you love to do and that recharges your batteries and make time for it. Your wellness is as important, if not more, than all other things you have to juggle as a medical student. For me, that's cooking a nice meal for myself and my SO. For others it could be a sport, an instrument, reading, arts, or even just watching some Netflix.

Another thing I want to mention, because it's really important, is to ensure that you are getting physical exercise! When I make the time to get in the gym a few times a week or go for a run, I feel infinitely better. I feel that I am more energized, and more focused mentally such that I can be efficient and get a lot more done, while feeling less burnt out.

This journey we have embarked on is a long one, and it is vital to seek out and recognize the things that will make us want to wake up the next day to keep going at it.

Love this

21 hours ago, Monkey D. Luffy said:

 

 

[Edict]

Burnout happens, I honestly can't imagine how people don't burnout through this medicine process. I mean it typically is 3-4 years of brutal undergrad, possibly graduate degrees or work experience, then 2 years of pre-clerkship followed by a brutal 2 years of clerkship CaRMS then residency and possibly fellowship. If you don't find a balance early on, you will suffer. I totally get why people say: "it doesn't get better". It isn't to threaten you or anything, it is just to warn you that if you go into tough fields thinking it will get better, you probably are just setting yourself up for disappointment. Choose fields wisely based on advice of seniors, I can't tell you how right seniors have been about workload in particular. When people say, so and so will be tough, it usually is.