Hello future doctors. All of us who put in the effort to clear NEET know about anxiety very well. It is very normal to feel anxiety during your preparation. I used to feel restless, my stomach ached, and my head used to feel heavy, all in all, I wasn’t able to work because of the anxiety a lot of times.
During the early days, I just ignored these signs and called them laziness. I used to think to myself, “Maybe I am just trying to get out of my work by making up problems. I just want to justify not working.” But later on, I understood what imposter syndrome meant, I understood the difference between anxiety and laziness. I also developed methods to deal with this anxiety. Here they are:
1) Talk to someone
You can talk to anybody who understands you: your friends, your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your uncle—anyone who will understand your anxiety and not taunt you for it. Talk to your guardians even if they are not that close to you. If you feel like you cannot share your problems listen to what they say.
Maybe, it won’t help you with your anxiety but it will at least keep you engaged. It will divert your mind and will make you feel closer to your guardians. Maybe within one or two weeks, you will be able to share your problems too.
2) Write it down
I had a journal where I used to write all my problems down. It helped in reflection and also expression. This means that I felt lighter that I had at least written down my feelings. It felt like I was talking to somebody who understood me. This way I felt seen and understood. It helped me take out my emotions instead of just keeping them inside.
Writing also then helped me to understand the flaws in my preparation and fix them. It is one of the best methods that I have used to date to deal with anxiety.
3) Don’t leave your mind empty
We all know the popular Hindi saying that goes ‘An empty mind is like the devil’s house’. To avoid overthinking about your studies, make sure that you have something or the else going on. I used to practice my hobbies even during my NEET preparation.
I used to follow the Pomodoro method of studying for 45 minutes and then taking a 15-minute break. In the 15-minute break, I used to doodle or paint. I also read novels and watched TV series. The trick is not leaving everything behind, the trick is keeping it in control. With my hobbies, I always had something going on. I never sat alone and thought about my preparation a lot. I would ask you to do the same.
Just pick up a hobby and follow it in your free time. This will help you divert your mind from all the overthinking.
4) Focus on the process, not the result
This one is easy to say but very hard to practice. One way to focus on the results is by tracking your progress. You can maintain a register where you write down how much you have worked every day. Just list down the chapters and the number of questions.
On the weekends when you take a test, list down the marks that you obtain, even if they are very low. Gradually, over 2-3 months your marks WILL improve, even if it is a 4-10 mark increase is an improvement.
Whenever you feel anxious or scared, just look at this register. Just looking at the number of effort you have put in and your gradual increase in score, you will feel motivated to work once again. You will be able to overcome your anxiety and understand that you have come a long way and that you still have a long way to go.
5) Change your perspective
Try to think of tests and practice questions as feedback, and ways to improve yourself. Do not think of them as your result. Whenever you sit to give a mock test, decide that you are giving it for feedback. So that when you analyze it, you get an idea of your weak topics, that you can then work on.
When your expectations from the task change, your satisfaction with completing it will also change.
Also Read: 10 tips to overcome NEET exam day anxiety and stress
6) Mental Space Management
You need to keep yourself calm with the help of practices like meditation, and breathing exercises. Try to keep your mind clear. If you are a religious person, think about God and let these thoughts calm you down.
Meditation and spirituality will help you keep your mind calm even in times of worry. Any time you feel anxious even during exams, just take 5 minutes to practice a breathing exercise. Breathe in deeply and then hold your breath. Breathe out after a while. It helps.
7) Learn to understand your emotions.
If your emotions become too difficult to deal with, don’t feel scared to get help. If you have counselors available in your college or classes you can go to them and talk to them about your worries.
Don’t be scared to talk to your parents about going to a therapist if you have no other option available. Remember, mental health is over everything.
Conclusion:
Although anxiety is a very common problem, dealing with it is very difficult. I understand you and I know what it feels like. Understand that it is normal to feel anxiety and that you must find ways to deal with it. You are not doing anything wrong. You’ve got it, my friend. All the best.
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