How do you cope with stress/burnout and being patient with yourself with what you can tackle? I'm a 3rd year Pharmacy Student and I feel like I am struggling a bit with juggling all the tasks (in & outside of school) with graduation looming over my head! Any tips would be greatly appreciated! :)
Response 1:
Hey, thanks for reaching out! As a fellow 3rd year, I understand how you’re feeling with the weight of everything we have piled on right now.
If you went to Kaitlyn’s seminar on burnout on Tuesday, I think she had a good tip about checking in with yourself every morning about how you’re feeling and your attitude toward the upcoming day. I usually try to make a rough schedule of my week and daily tasks on Mondays, but I keep it flexible so that if I wake up one morning and feel that I have too much on my plate or that I’m mentally or physically lacking energy, I can adjust my daily tasks, and go easier on myself for a day.
Something that I find useful is actively trying to stop myself from trying to compare myself to my peers. It’s easy to get stressed if you don’t think you’re studying as much or getting as high of marks as other students. Everyone has their own study habits, which is why I focus on making achievable goals for myself and evaluating my success based on that. For example, I try not to keep a specific grade in my head that I want to achieve while studying for midterms exams. Different courses and IPFC topics will vary in difficulty, and everyone will have their own areas in which they are either stronger or weaker. I try to frame my studying mindset towards how it will help me become a knowledgeable clinician and keep in mind that it’s okay if I don’t understand absolutely everything while I’m still a student. It’s about having compassion for yourself and treating yourself like you’d treat one of your patients. Would you ask your patient to study for 10 hours straight 7 days a week? Absolutely not because literally no one can adhere to that.
Response 2:
Thanks so much for reaching out, I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling symptoms of burnout. I can tell you that I have definitely been there, and as a fellow 3rd year student I want to let you know that it’s totally valid to be feeling that way especially at this point in the semester, but it’s good to recognize this and take a step back, so I’m glad that you have done that already. What has really motivated me throughout pharmacy school firstly is the fact that you do not have to get 100% on everything you do. I feel like changing my mindset from a state of “perfectionism” to setting more realistic goals of simply getting everything done on my to-do list and passing my exams has helped decrease my stress levels. While weekly calendars and setting daily goals for myself have been very helpful for keeping myself on track, I realise that it is ok if I don’t get everything done on my list for the day. A helpful tip that I can offer that has helped me would be to try to plan out your days according to your most productive times. For example, I like to get up early and have my coffee and have some quiet time in the mornings to get some heavier school work done (e.g. studying for IPFC or working on a project that is due soon). I find I am most refreshed in the mornings and tend to get my best quality work done at this time. I tend to get restless at night and can’t focus very well at all, so I reserve this time for more passive school work (e.g. watching lecture videos), or no school work at all. By doing this, I know I won’t feel guilty if I am not being productive with school work during my least productive times, and can take time for myself to do other things like hang out with friends, read a book, or scroll on my phone. I feel like this whole strategy is just about being honest with yourself about what you feel like you can get done in a day, and realising that some days will be more productive than others, but not to feel bad about it.
I totally understand feeling overwhelmed with graduation coming closer as well, but just remember that you were meant to be here and will get through this - pharmacy school is tough and look how far you have come already! :)
Response 3:
Hey, thanks for reaching out! I want to start off by saying you’re definitely not alone. As a fellow 3rd year student, I have experienced this a lot as well. Pharmacy school can be really tough and overwhelming sometimes, especially when there are so many deadlines and tasks to get done. It can easily stress someone out or cause burnout.
I think as pharmacy students and future healthcare professionals, there is a lot of pressure to always be working and always be learning and sometimes you may feel guilty if you take breaks. But it’s important to prioritize yourself too! There will always be something new to learn or another task to complete but it’s important to take time for yourself to recharge. Sometimes when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed, I like to go for a walk while listening to some music or calling family and friends. I also try to visit home as much as I can because it can be a change of scenery and give you a break from always being in school mode. I’ll also go out with my friends sometimes, even if it’s just to go for a walk to grab some food before the next class starts. I found activities like this can help me unwind and clear my head of some of the stress.
I know the idea of graduation can be overwhelming as well. It may put some pressure on learning as much as possible. But being a pharmacist involves life-long learning which means you’re not going to know everything today or tomorrow or next month and that’s okay! You’ll learn as you go. School can be tough and it can easily consume all minutes of your day, but remember to tell yourself that it’s okay to take breaks! You’ll do better if you’re rested and recharged. You’ve come so far, you’re almost at the finish line! 🙂