Tips on How to Survive Vet School With Your Sanity Intact
It’s that time of the fall semester where the temperatures are starting to drop, and with it grades, motivation, and well-being are also falling. There’s 15 exams, endless lectures, smelly anatomy labs, hours of studying, and life to juggle. Naturally, some things have to be put by the wayside. Maybe you are one day late to paying your electric bill. Maybe you forget to call your parents back. Or maybe you forget about taking care of yourself. Sacrificing yourself is so easy to do, but it can do more damage than you think. Therefore, I’ve complied a list of some (hopefully helpful) tips on how to maintain your most important subject in vet school- your mental health.
Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. This is the biggest tip I have, yet for some it could be the hardest one to do. Some view asking for help as a weakness, but let me be the first one to tell you: Everyone needs help in vet school. Whether it be academically, socially, financially, or mentally, everyone at one point and time in vet school will most likely reach out for help. This does NOT make you weak. This makes you human. I promise you that NO ONE will look down on you for this. So please don’t struggle alone, because there are classmates, professors, psychiatrists, and family that would love to help you through this.
Don’t sacrifice grades for health. This is one I personally struggled with through first year. I kept telling myself “It doesn’t matter that I’m not sleeping or eating well, I need that grade.” I would use brute force to push through hour-long study sessions that I knew I spent more time trying to motivate myself to study more than actually learning anything. At the end of the day, I was crabby, had a throbbing headache, and barely retained anything. This method DID NOT WORK, and there’s a good chance it won’t work for you. The instant I accepted that I wouldn’t be able to learn everything, the instant I allowed myself to go out with friends or go for a run, was the instant my grades actually got better, because I was more focused and motivated during my study sessions. Remember, the quality is what matters, not the quantity.
Don’t let the impostor (syndrome) win. Most vet students, at some part of their vet school career, will feel that they aren’t good enough, or fell like they don’t belong. That they aren’t smart enough, and that at any moment someone will come along and revoke their acceptance letter. If there is depression present, feeling like you aren’t good enough can compound the problem for sure. First of all, know you are NOT alone. Just about everyone feels this way, and while it might not go away, every bit of confidence you gain during vet school will make this syndrome fade. If you are struggling with this, know that the admission’s committees are good at what they do, and if they accepted you, you ARE capable of doing this, even if you don’t feel like it.
Find a destresser. This is simple, yet so important. During the first semester I didn’t allow myself to do anything that made me happy, and my grades (and physical health) showed it. Find something that you like to do, that is important to you, and make time for it. For me, it’s running and baking. For you it might be sculpting pottery, boxing, or taking a dance class. Just do something that gives your mind a break from school, so when you have to go back at it you’ll be more likely to succeed.
Find something that reminds you of why you are here. Sometimes, when I am knee-deep in the 30 branches of this artery or the 25 steps of this biochemical pathway, I miss the forest for the trees, and I physically feel a motivation debilitating haze that I can’t get out of. If you are experiencing this, find something that ignites your passion again. Go help out at a shelter. Go shadow in the Emergency department. Go assist at a spay-neuter clinic. It doesn’t have to be much, but do something that won’t let you forget why you are doing this in the first place.
Vet school can seem like this big ugly monster that does it darnest to gobble you up- the secret is that your biggest defense, your biggest shield.. is your mental health. So take care of yourself, and if you ever need something, ANYTHING- reach out. We are all here for you : )
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