Stressing out?

Okay so I have tried many different methods to de-stress and have found a few that really calm me down. I realize everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you, but you can try these out and see if it helps!

1) Get GOOD sleep:

That means turn off your TV, your lights, and your phone! I know for me if I have any of these on my brain continues to be stimulated and I won’t be able to go to sleep because so many things are floating around in my mind. Also be sure that you have a good mattress and pillow! Having a mattress and pillow that allows you to fall asleep fast and causes no pain is VITAL to getting good sleep; it can make all the difference in the quality of your sleep.

2) Self Affirmation:

This one is pretty self-explanatory. We are our worst enemies and can often tear ourselves down at any bumps in the road. I, myself, am guilty of this and I have to catch myself and remind myself that I am AWESOME and I CAN do this.

This is up on my wall 🙂 It seems cheesy, but when I am really down on myself, this makes all the difference.

3) Being Organized:

When my house is dirty, especially my room, I get a lot of anxiety about the fact that I need to clean. This just ends up distracting me from what I originally set out to do and cause stress. If you need tips for organization, stay tuned for blogs in my “Organizational Tools” category!

4) Music:

Music is just one of those things I hold near and dear to my heart. Both my dad and my brother are what I call “musically inclined”. My dad has been playing guitar since he was little and he was playing since I was a baby. My brother started with playing drums and now also plays guitar and sings! So needless to say, I have been raised around various types of music. I think music conveys emotions that you can connect with on a level that you just can’t explain in words. So for that reason, I can listen to music that I connect with when I’m stressed and it releases built-up tension.

I’m sure there are MANY other things you can do to relieve your stress, but those are the main things I have found to help me.

So you want to be a doctor…

Here are some helpful links to get you started!:

AAMC (for allopathic) https://www.aamc.org

AACOM (for osteopathic, the website describes the difference between allopathic M.D. and osteopathic D.O.) http://www.aacom.org/home

Retaking the MCAT

So when I got my MCAT score back, I did alright, but it wasn’t the score I was looking for. I went into meltdown mode, cried, and put myself down. This video really helped me a lot to realize that we, as pre meds, are held to unrealistic standards with no room for human error. It helped me realize that other people have gone through this, that I am NOT a failure, and that I really need to buck up and take it as fact that I am going to have to retake the MCAT. Since the new MCAT is what I have to study for, it’s going to be completely different and I will have to start from scratch, but that’s okay because I am going to be positive and focus on the fact that the MCAT is just one of those things that you need to get into medical school. I will push through this because I fiercely desire to become a doctor, and I’m not going to let anything get in the way of my bright future 🙂

I know that was a lot of blabbing on, but I think it is very important for aspiring doctors to realize that we aren’t perfect and that just because we have some set-backs were are NOT doomed to never succeed. If anyone reading this is going through this or has gone through this, please share your experiences below. I really want to create a safe environment where we can all be real with each other!

It’s An Emotional Roller-coaster

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The New MCAT

For all of you who are going to take the new MCAT in 2015, here is a useful link to look at the changes that have been made to the MCAT, and how to prepare: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/377882/data/mcat2015-content.pdf and also Kaplan’s more condensed version: http://www.kaptest.com/static/pdf/Test-Change-Cropped.pdf

I decided that I will take the MCAT again next year, so I will be coming across more information as I research and begin preparing. I have taken the Kaplan course before, but for the new MCAT I am considering other companies such as Princeton Review.

 

If anyone else has any other useful links or tips, feel free to comment below!

Hey, Whatever Works!

 

So my major is Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB). Picture watching this on the first day of school freshman year in my introduction to MCDB class. At first I just laughed about it, but when it came to test day with questions about the central dogma, I found myself singing this in my head during the exam! Anyone have any other funny science videos or helpful study tools?

The Dreaded MCAT

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This was me a couple weeks ago when I took the MCAT! Comment below if anyone else has felt this same way! I took a Kaplan course and studied my heart away and took it on October 21st. Now I have to wait, which seems like forever, to get my score back towards the end of this month. I don’t know about you, but I am impatient and I over think EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) so this is especially unnerving for me waiting to find out my score.