Lost Art of Blogging!

Afternoon!

I have been away from this blog for too long.

The reason being I have, and I suppose I still am, going through a massive period of doubt in my life. Not doubting wanting to pursue medicine. But doubting the timing of it all.

I have decided (somewhat resignedly) that I won't be able to take the GAMSAT in London this coming September. I just will not be ready.

I feel taking an extra year to prepare will not only help me achieve a better score, but it will also help me become a better person and ultimately a better doctor.

Apart from learning all of the scientific material etc required for the test, I feel I need to sort of "find myself".

My life is extrememly unbalanced and I am not really very physically or mentally healthy, and that definately needs to change if I want to become a doctor.

I don't really want to take a year off to be honest. I'm 24 this year and I feel like I have been waiting forever for my chance, but I guess I need to stop being so impatient and trust that when the time is right I will get my chance.

In the meantime I need to start living again. I need to shake off my depression and get back to reading books and newspapers, painting, going out with friends, taking walks and just generally BEING again. That's just as important as any hardcore study I think!

Anyhoo will update again soon! Results are out on Thursday! Eep!

:)

Stress Relief for Students

Afternoon!

Today I am talking about something that creeps it's way into everyone's life at some stage or another, and that is stress!

As my exams are looming I'm definately experiencing some right now. Generally I think stress is most debilitating before a particular event. We build things up so much in our head that small challenges can become magnified and distorted, and this can take a toll on our mental, physical and spiritual health.

I know from my own experiences I've fallen victim to this manys a time! Presentations in particular tend to cause me to panic, I spend weeks and weeks dreading it and building it up, only to find that the presentation itself goes fine and is over pretty quickly! Stressing over such things is truly a waste of time and energy!

For students learning to manage stress is very important. I would imagine that for med students it is critical!

So here are some ways that help you to release that buildup of stress:

1) Face Challenges Head-On!

This is something I need to work on. When we are faced with a challenge, many times the temptation is to run away from it, to avoid it as long as possible. One example of this for students would be assignments. If you put things off and procrastinate, you will only have more time to build up stress! Then, not only will you not have as much time to work on it, but the standard of your work may also drop as you become more and more panicked! So the best thing to do when faced with a challenge is not delay! Do it today so you can enjoy your tomorrow! :)

2) Diet and Exercise!

Having a good diet and keeping active is really important to manage stress! Exercise clears the mind and releases endorphins that make you feel better. Try to fit in a little bit of exercise whenever you can. Make small changes to become more active in the long term. Start with small things such as doing some yoga or going for a walk and as your fitness levels increase you can do more. Combining exercise with a good diet will help you not only stay in shape, but keep your body healthy and reduce stress! For more on having a good diet, see my post on Student Nutrition!

3) Get it out!

Stress is an emotion which causes all our muscles to tense up. It causes us to withdraw inwards out of fear. Therefore, you want to do things which let that tension out of the body! Talking is a great way to release tension. Seek out someone you trust and just let them know what's going on with you. Just let them know you need to vent. Pets are a great option for this I've found as they can't make comments back! ;) If you are really tense, try punching a pillow over and over, or hell even scream until you can't scream anymore! Just let that stress OUT! (You might want to warn people around you before you try that last one!). :)

4) Meditate.

Meditation is something every single person should be doing in my opinion. You don't have to be a spiritual or religious person to do it so there's no excuse. What you are doing is drawing your focus inward, usually on your breathing, and clearing the mind. This can take some practice but don't be discouraged it does get easier! Meditation not only reduces stress by calming the body and quieting the mind, but ut has also been shown to reduce rates of heart disease AND increase IQ! There are many different techniques so have a root around online for one that suits you and just go for it!

5) Take Time For You

We all have tasks that we have to get done in our lives, and sometimes this list can seem never-ending. Rather than letting yourself get dragged down by all the stuff you have to do, make time for something you want to do! Fit something into your schedule that is just solely for the purpose of your mental well-being. This might be meeting a friend, reading a book, going for a walk, putting on a face mask- anything you enjoy! Just be sure to make this time purely for you! Put a mental box around this time and don't let any of the stress from what you have to do spill over into your me-time! You will find that doing this on a regular basis breaks of the monotony of practical life and gives you something you can look forward to. That in itself can help reduce your stress levels!


I hope these points have been helpful, learning to manage stress does not happen over night, it takes time. But making small changes in your life on a regular basis will help you cut down the worry and the panic, and help you enjoy your life more!

I'm off to take my advice and face my study head on! ;)

Women, Life and Education

I decided to make this post about the challenges women face in their journey towards education.

I live in a country which legally ensures that all women are treated equally, and yet the reality of life on the ground is we are not equal to our male counterparts.

Research has shown that women are still consistently being paid less than men for doing the same job. I have had personal experience of this and it is the most sickening experience! I worked hard and cared about doing a good job, and yet I was getting paid less. It was only when I found out (through a relationship with a co-worker) and called my boss out on it, that my pay was equalised.

As we all know, education costs money, a lot of money if you want to do something like medicine, and if women are being paid less than men in the workplace this may add increased pressure to women who are struggling to cope.

It seems women still have not caught up to the financial security and power that is enjoyed by men in society. Much of this is due to social problems such as the aforementioned inequalities in pay, however I also believe some of this responsibility falls on women themselves.

It seems many women are waiting for the so-called "prince-charming" to show up in their life and take care of everything. They fail to educate themselves on what they need to do to survive in this world. Many women fall into the trap of getting comfortable letting their partner take control of the finances. This leaves them in a reliant and vulnerable position. All women need to take initiative, discard the fairytale images of life we were introduced to as children and get real. Knowledge is power, therefore if women really want to occupy a powerful position within society, they need to educate themselves.

It's not an easy thing to be a woman. I believe woman have always been at a real disadvantage from the get go. First it was physical disadvantage, and then alsodisadvantages of living in male-centered societies.

I believe women are caught in a struggle. Trying to hold onto their equality with men so strongly, that they are afraid of the penalties of being female. As women, our bodies do function differently to men, we struggle each month to varying degrees to keep going, pregnant women are under pressure to work as long as possible up until they give birth, and then to get back to the workplace as soon as possible.

The pressure on women to have it all cannot be understated.

While I was growing up it was my mother who worked full time while my father stayed home with the kids. I'm grateful that I had such a role model early on in life. Career has always been important to me and I believe that's where it came from. However, now that I'm older I am able to talk to my mother about what it was like to be a mother, a wife and a full-time employee.

She said the pressure was unimaginable. If she had her time again she wouldn't have had children because of the toll that it takes trying to have it all.

I wish that those in power could understand this pressure (although they are mostly men so maybe they just can't). Equality as I see it, is the bare minimum that should be required by society. But it's not enough. There should be some allowances made for women and their struggles. I think is not saying that one sex is better or weaker than the other, rather it is saying that we are different to men and that's ok.

If you added up the money spent by a woman on sanitary products for her life (nevermind the painkillers etc) it would add up to a whopping sum. Yet there is no allowance made for this, we just have to shoulder yet another burden.

Equality ensures that men and women get the same number of sick days. Even though, lets face it women could do with an extra few to get them through!

Constantly having to push, constantly trying to be "equal" to men is exhausting!In work I try do everything the men do (even if I struggle due to difference in physical strenght), sometimes I feel I have to just to assert myself. Yes I am a woman, don't dare underestimate me though. It does take a toll on me and my health, and that in turn effects my education.


Men have created societies which are catered to their needs. I hope and pray that as women educate themselves we can go on to create societies that are friendly not only to men's needs but to womens as well!

In the mean time, women like my mother and I struggle to keep up, and yet refuse to fall behind.

Off to study I go! :)

Student Nutrition

Morning! :)

As my exams loom I'm trying to watch my diet more and more. It's taken years of anaemia and  a whole host of other deficiencies to make me realise I need to keep an eye on those vitamin and mineral levels! Guess I'm a bit slow on the uptake! :P

I went shopping yesterday and made a beeline for the health food store. Picked up a new supplement to add to the collection. An inositol and choline supplement. Never tried it before so will let y'all know what I think of it!

I was doing research one day on supplements for med students (I research all things pre-med!) and came across them being mentioned over and over. I had never really come across them before, even though I have a certificate in nutrition! Oops!

They are supposed to help with memory function, so yes I had to have them!

I also am taking a multivitamin, iron tablets, an omega complex and sea kelp supplement. That's if I remember to take them all, which I have to be honest most of the time I don't! But I am trying and that's what important right? :)

I think nutrition is so important for students to maximise their potential in exams and throughout the academic year. We all want to do the best we can in the time we have in college and to do that we need to be in the best health possible!

A bloodtest at the end of the summer term will highlight any deficiencies that may have developed and will give you time to get yourself fighting fit for the next year.

It's so tempting when you are stuck at a desk studying all day to just snack on junk so it's worth doing a shop before you sit down and stock up on healthy nibbles!

I like fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, baked chickpeas with flavours and pickles!

Also if like me you have an almighty 3 pm slump, instead of just leaping towards the kettle to put on another coffee, try a fresh fruit smoothie instead!

1/2 a banana makes a good base for smoothies and will release energy slowly. Add in anything you like! :) I love strawberries, pears, mangos and raspberries! Then to give it an extra POW add in a bit of spinach or kale (you can't taste it, don't worry. It's just extra iron and vitamins). If you need to sweeten things up add in a little honey or stevia!

 

 

 

Healthy banana and chocolate smoothie with a wee bit of spinach :)