If my closest friends had to describe me in three words, they would say that I’m: Patient, Dedicated, and Calm. However, most people don’t know that beneath my calm and determined persona is what I like to call “a human ball of stress“. Even though I don’t always express it, there are times when I get worked up about the smallest things or hypothetical scenarios that will most likely never occur. I know that this trait manifests from a deep care for my work and others, but at the end of the day prolonged stress can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health. It also affects our ability to dedicate 100% of our efforts into our studies, work, and goals. One of my personal goals in 2022 is to improve the way that I deal with stress, especially as I enter medical school. As a future physician, how am I going to treat patients if I am not in the best mental state myself? Experiencing stress is normal, but it is so important that we find healthy ways to address it. If you are like me and are also working to improve your mental health, keep reading! I’m going to be sharing 5 self-care ideas that you can practice when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed!
Related: UPDATE: Accepted into Medical School!!!
Here are 5 Self-Care Ideas For When You Feel Stressed
1. Exercise
In high school, I was the person that dreaded P.E. I was so determined to avoid P.E., that I decided to become a T.A. my senior year haha! It wasn’t until after I graduated college and started studying for the MCAT when I actually began to enjoy exercising.
The MCAT journey is incredibly stressful; not only are you required to prepare for a 7 hour long test, but you’re constantly being reminded that this single test can significantly impact your chances of getting into medical school. After studying for around 8 hours a day, I would be so mentally exhausted. However, working out after studying allowed me to release stress, forget about the MCAT, and focus on my wellbeing. One of the purest forms of self-care is to dedicate time to taking care of physical and mental health, and exercising is the perfect way to do that!
If you’re a beginner to exercising, you can start off by doing cardio such as walking or running. You can also follow along fitness videos from Youtubers such as Chloe Ting (beginner), Blogilates (beginner), Pamela Reif (intermediate), and Caroline Girvan (advanced). After working out to fitness videos for several months, I eventually wanted more of a challenge, so I moved onto lifting weights at the gym under the guidance of my personal trainer Dela. Even after my MCAT journey ended, exercising has been my go-to way to release stress from work and the medical school application cycle. Not only has it helped improve my mental health, but I’ve never felt more strong and healthy in my life!
Related: Read This If You’re Losing Motivation to Study (8 Tips on How to Feel Motivated to Study Again)
2. Journal
Journaling is another method of self-care that I’ve always done, even throughout my childhood. There’s something very therapeutic in expressing your feelings through writing. It’s honestly one of the reasons why I love blogging! When we’re stressed, there are often too many thoughts running through our mind that lead us to feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and not in control. I’ve found that journaling allows me to individually process each thing that is contributing to my stress and think about ways that I can address it. Journaling is a great way to remind ourselves that our problems are not as big as we imagined; we do have some control over a stressful situation, even if it’s just our reaction to it.
3. Think About What’s Going Right / What You’re Thankful For
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I tend to put on a negative lens and think about everything that’s going wrong in my life. Having this type of negative mindset sets us up for experiencing a cycle of even more stress. Something that I’ve been practicing lately is making a list of what I’m thankful for and what is going right in life. For example, today I got rejected from a dream medical school that I interviewed at, and that really made me question whether I was good enough to be in top tier medical programs. Rejection is such a negative experience to go through, but I was eventually able to pick myself up by thinking about the things that were going right in my life. I still have an acceptance from UC Irvine, and at the end of the day, I’m still going to be a doctor!
If you ever reach a point in which you can only focus on the negatives, try making a gratitude list and using that as a way to ground yourself in positivity. Even though it can be difficult, staying optimistic and thinking positively is so helpful in reducing stress.
Related: 5 Life-Changing Organization Tips for Online Classes
4. Talk to Someone
You are not alone. I know that this can be hard to believe in times of stress, but never forget that there are people who truly love and care about you! The worst thing that you can do for your mental and physical health is internalize your stress and allow it to grow. Whether it be with a family, friend, or therapist, talk to someone about what you’re going through!
For the longest time, I was always afraid to speak out about my struggles. As someone who has been there to support others, I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone or appear weak. However, internalizing my feelings over time ultimately led to very intense breakdowns over seemingly small things. Now, I try to voice how I feel to my friends whenever I feel an inkling of stress in order to prevent it from building up in the long run. Sometimes, you just need someone to be there to listen to feel better; it’s also nice to be reminded by others that what you’re going through is not the end of the world. You are not alone, and you will get through this!
Accepting that you are struggling and seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength! Think about this… Would you ever let your friend struggle through something alone? Of course not! You deserve that same level of support that you are so quick to give, and there are people in your life who will be there to provide that to you! If you ever need someone to talk to, always know that you can reach out to me via Instagram (@p31beauty) or email (p31beauty@yahoo.com).
5. Do Something That’s Relaxing & Makes You Happy
When you experience stress, your body activates its sympathetic nervous system, which leads to symptoms such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. To avoid prolonging these negative symptoms of stress, do something that relaxes you and makes you happy! Personally, I love doing my skincare/makeup, dressing up, or visiting the ocean when I feel overwhelmed. When I’m feeling extremely anxious, I’ve also found that taking a nap, watching Netflix, or drinking soothing tea help calm my nerves. What makes you the happiest? Do it! 🙂
Conclusion
If you’re currently going through stressful times, always remember that this is a temporary moment of your life that you will get through. If it ever gets too difficult to handle alone, it’s okay to reach out for support! I truly hope that these 5 self-care tips help you as much as they have helped me.
Love,
Blaze Ann
Outfit Details x MOTF Review
For this neutral look, I’m wearing a Forever 21 top, MOTF dress pants, and Abercrombie sandals. I want to thank MOTF for sending me these dress pants because I have been searching for the perfect white pants for the longest time! I ordered them in my usual size 4, and they fit very comfortably despite being high waisted. Not only do these pants serve as a chic, neutral staple in my closet, but its material and cut are very high quality! You can definitely style these pants in more casual or formal outfits, which I’m very excited to do in the future. If you are looking for affordable and chic essentials for your wardrobe, check out what MOTF has to offer here!
