Written by: AlZahraa Mohammed
Painted by: Alaa Jaffer
How many times have you found yourself trapped between four walls: your studies as a med student, your social life, your hobbies, and your family’s expectations? How many times have you felt like every time you pick up something, everything else falls apart? How often do we find ourselves lost and tired, with nowhere to go and not much of a drive to do anything?
A study of the prevalence of depression among medical students at Al-Azhar University showed an overall result of 42.9%.
Symptoms of depression include
● frequent fast-food intake.
● prolonged use of social media and watching TV.
● lack of communication with friends.
● Sleeping and eating disorders.[1]
Students dealing with prolonged stress and intense workloads could suffer from burnout, a condition of mental and physical exhaustion because of overworking themselves.
Depression, anxiety, and stress are prevalent among medical students due to the intense program and high expectations of the parents as well as the students themselves.
After a lifetime of aiming to be the best and mostly succeeding at it, the sudden drop in grades and productivity due to the change of the environment when entering university could be crushing to most people. Even harder is the ruthless pace at which medical schools work, leading them to feel dejected because they are unable to catch up.
In addition, a lot of students may feel as though they have made the wrong choice of career in entering medical school and their feelings are proven by their unsatisfactory grades and lack of passion for the field. Also, entering early adulthood and the transition between adolescence and adulthood itself is a very stressful and confusing time for most people, leading to frequent thoughts and feelings of not belonging and not knowing what you are doing with your life.
What is important is recognizing that those feelings are natural to have, especially considering the fast-paced society we live in that makes us feel as though we are supposed to be accomplished individuals with tons of experience under our belts by the time we’re 20. Comparing yourself to your peers is not fair to you or them as everyone’s circumstances and abilities are different.
There are many forms of therapy that could help, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for emotional regulation. ACT is based on the premise that normal cognitive processes distort and enhance the experience of unpleasant emotion, leading clients to engage in problematic behaviours designed to avoid or attenuate those unpleasant emotions.[2]
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) is also useful as it is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that aims to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others. [3]
Generally, mindfulness can help put one’s priorities in perspective and see the bigger picture, focusing on one’s goals rather than the hindrances that happen along the way.
Journaling is also a very effective method of letting out one’s emotions and thoughts in a safe space without fear of sensitive personal information being told to the wrong person or feeling like a nuisance to those around you, which is especially common for people with anxiety.
The key to a calmer, more productive life is acceptance. Accepting that things often go wrong, people are often disappointing, and we as humans are naturally flawed—rather than zooming in on every error in yourself and your life and overthinking all the ways you’ve failed.
We walk different paths in life; you cannot expect to see or experience the same things at the same time as other people around you. The beauty in life is the different colours of our journeys, how they mix, separate, twist and turn, how we go through rough times to find the better ones.
As Audre Lorde said, “Self-care is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”
Taking care of your mental and physical health is as important for your academic and general performance as the effort you put into your tasks. Take a step back, a deep breath, and be nicer to yourself; it’s been through a lot to get here.
NOTE: If you feel like you need it, you might want to check out the Cairo University's Psychological Assistance & Self Improvement Center (PASIC) where you can get free therapy as a student of Cairo University. Just text or call them at their number, 01211896600, to book a session, and trust that you’ll be matched with experienced therapists in a safe and confidential environment to get started on your journey to mental and emotional wellbeing.
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