Burnout and How to Overcome It

Everyone knows that studying is critical to passing your medical school examinations, whether that be on your own, in a group, with your tutor, and more. This type of preparation is highly personal and totally dependent on what the individual needs, especially in the week leading to these important examinations. Some choose to only study and sleep for the week leading into exams, while others choose to entirely avoid the study preparation that they have long adopted to prepare for such an important exam. For those of you who have been studying with us here at EMP, we know the countless hours you have put into this process. For those outside of EMP, we can only guess that you have also been studying as much as possible. As such, it’s time to discuss those tips and tricks that are not “typical” when preparing for your upcoming exams and even those small tells that you may be experiencing burnout. 

Identifying Early Signs of Burnout

Burnout looks different for everyone and often compromises various components including physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and cognitive weariness. For those who are preparing for an extremely important upcoming exam, none of these phenomena are helpful. While burnout can be apparent in some, others will begin to exhibit subtle symptoms that should be addressed before the situation takes a more drastic turn. Small signs like frequent headaches, insomnia, anxiety, cynicism, irritability, exhaustion, feelings of disconnect, and even turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms are all signs that a person may be experiencing burnout and need to make a change. 

How to Intervene When You Start Exhibiting Signs of Burnout

While it is different for each person, research tells us that certain steps can be taken by everyone to boost productivity, memory, rest, and more. As you are moving into the countdown to testing, burnout can quickly become an issue. One way to improve this is to take microbreaks throughout your study sessions, breaks for 5-15 minutes to scroll on your phone, close your eyes, make some food, or anything else away from your study materials! Burnout can manifest in various ways around the body and when it manifests mentally, the ability to recall information seems to be nonexistent. Eating foods like dark chocolate or your favorite nuts, like almonds, can enhance your natural memory.  Finally, getting some form of exercise, my preferred being a walk in the sun, can aid in your body’s natural destressing process and allow you some much-needed time to unwind and rest!

No matter what you use to take a break from studying, be sure to allow your body and mind a break from the daily grind you have utilized for so long. Your test scores will thank you!