By Nicholas Wilkes

With exams on the horizon, many of us may be feeling overwhelmed with how much work we still need to do and how little time there is to do it with all the other personal and professional responsibilities in our day to day lives. When feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it can be tough to know where to even get started on work. Instead, it’s easy to find ourselves lamenting that we didn’t start earlier or spent too much time studying something “low yield” that may not come up on the exam. 

Many of us may normally rely on calling friends or studying with friends in the library in order to provide support during stressful times, and to structure our days, however for many of us now it’s hard to keep those habits when you may not be able to see them in person. Keeping all this in mind, it has never been more important to remember to take care of yourself and maintain those connections, albeit in the form of a Zoom call study session instead of an in-person study session in Matheson.

While everyone has their own ways to study, not forgetting to have a healthy routine and separating work from personal time is important to stay on top of things and feel more satisfied with the work you have done. Setting a designated study area (ideally out of your bedroom) with fixed working hours (as if you were going to hospital or university) with breaks where you can exercise, cook something new or just call friends and family to vent about a long week can help to prevent feeling too overwhelmed and carrying over that stress from working to your down time.

There may be no one-size-fits-all solution that can be condensed into a wellness article, and we may all have different problems or concerns, whether that be worrying about whether you’ll ever examine a newborn and experience all that med school can offer whilst being off placement, or spending 40+ hours a week on placement wondering if your Z score will handle less revision time than your peers. However, keep in mind that we are all in these uncertain times together and no matter your situation, finding the time to take care of yourself has never been more important. Whether it be from a friend, parent or GP/counsellor, make sure you’re reaching out if you need help.

Below are some academic resources and study tools which will hopefully make your life easier:

• MUMUS Revision Lectures
• eTG (especially clinical years)
• PSPs
• ANKI
• Past papers

Phone counselling service @ Monash

Call 1300 788 336 [1300 STUDENT]

Telephone counselling open 24 hours.

• From Malaysia: 1800 818 356 (toll free)
• From Italy: 800 791 847 (toll free)
• From elsewhere: Students +61 2 8295 2917 | Staff +61 2 8295 2292

More information can be found here.

Or contact MUMUS Community and Wellbeing