Advertisement
Guest User

Untitled

a guest
Feb 20th, 2020
120
0
Never
Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!
text 4.44 KB | None | 0 0
  1. Bit of a rough exam if we're being honest so I figure I'll post this a bit early instead of waiting for the weekend with the pick-me-pups.
  2.  
  3. We're at the halfway point so I wanted to take a little break to look back. I know these past few weeks have been stressful for a lot of us with the new exam format, the challenging material, and RL stuff weighing on you so I wanted to take a moment to let you know that it's alright. It's alright to be stress-y and depress-y. It's alright to feel overwhelmed with the material and practical skills. It's alright to feel like you're not at the level you need to be. It's alright to feel those things as long as you also acknowledge that you're doing things to improve and that you are going to do it if you keep at it: You're studying to learn the material, you're going into the lab to practice with your Rossie, you're taking time for yourself to practice self-care. With this little break we have, I want you to know it's alright to take some time to gather yourself and work on mental health.
  4.  
  5. I've probably talked about my Peace Corps experience more than you care to know, but I'mma talk about it a little bit more as there is some bleed-over here. The withdrawal rate was about 40% (people who left a few months early or just quit entirely) due to stress (you are scrutinized by your community for your choice in everything, you are expected to do great things with little support from the organization in question, and are ridiculed for the slightest slip-ups) and safety concerns (I don't know a volunteer who wasn't harassed in some way, stolen from, or had an experience that put them in direct danger). It was stressful and we all coped in whatever ways we could. Some drank their feelings down until their livers screamed (to the point that they were drinking by themselves in their room every night). Some lashed out at friends and family over issues they felt they couldn't confront in their jobs and ended some relationships and burned bridges. Some tried to de-stress through hook-ups and I don't need to explain the detrimental effects of waking up in my arms the next morning. ETC. And that's not me judging them because I was the King of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms (and every now and then I still feel like going back to usurp the throne and slip back to my dias of bottles, spilled tea, and being petty). I recognize they were grown-ass adults who handled things in their own way and and were able to realize when a coping mechanism was becoming a problem.
  6.  
  7. I wish I knew back then at the start what I know now and learned during my service: that you're not alone in this. Talking, commiserating, and venting can help out and that they didn't need to handle everything on their own or keep it to themselves. They didn't need to drink alone because they felt like they were the only one struggling. They didn't need to snap at friends and family when they could have explained what they were going through. To bring it back to you all, I want you guys and gals to take a moment to celebrate and blow off some steam. You deserve a little break. Have a couple of drinks with friends, hang out, take a moment just for yourselves, do what works for you. Just realize that if you feel like this isn't enough or that you feel like you're spiraling, that there are friends you can talk to about this. Don't let this fester and turn necrotic. Don't suffer in silence. This is from experience. Suffering in silence isn't brave and it's sure as shit not strong; it will build up and find an outlet at the most hilariously inopportune time. Talk it out with a friend or the counseling center, or, if you feel like you don't want to vent to them out of some sense of embarrassment, you can always chat with me. My DMs are always open and as someone who's slipped a number of times, I'm not going to judge. I love y'all and want you to be in a good mindset while you rock your way through veterinary school. Surviving veterinary school is good, thr'palmtree'ving and growing is better.
  8.  
  9. Finally, I want you to take a moment to realize how far you've come. We're approaching two years here and I don't need to tell you how much of an accomplishment that is. We are less than a year away from being official doctors. You guys are a constant source of inspiration. You are rocking it and we just need to push a little further to accomplish what we've dreamed about. I'm super proud of y'all! You're great people and you're going to be great doctors. You just need to keep pushing and going.
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement