Post-Exam Remorse and Realizations

PhotoCredit: Well.Blogs.Nytimes.com

I just made it out of an Exam this day and I just woke up right now. Being in Medical School, the stress of taking an exam and the usual remorse of not studying enough is not an unusual feeling. You can say that it's a cycle that will repeat over and over again and nothing will ever make you become immune of it. It's become of this that I realized a few things that I'd like to share to everyone that you may not or may have realized already:

1. Things don't always work out as you planned in Med School. I've realized this lesson each time I do things and in fact I can fairly conclude that it should be part of a Medical Student's life. It is the norm rather than the exception. There are far too numerous factors that can be in play that will make our lives as uncertain as it's already is ranging from self-deserving consultants, toxic-bringing residents, inconsiderate professors, unsupportive classmates, uncooperative family or your own lazy self. 
2. You cannot give up. After a disappointing exam, you pick yourself up and move on. There is basically nothing you could do about it anyway that you should have done before the exams. It's already too late to undo things that have past and energies are better spent on preparing for things to come. So stop moping, eat your comfort food or have a satisfying sleep, then get over it.
3. It's good to have a support person. Be it the your trusty bestfriend, your ever reliable family, your dependable classmate or your supportive lover, I cannot emphasize more of having someone to let your frustrations out. Call it shock-absorber if you like, it is therapeutic to release your angst about things. It is also a way to have another perspective about problems and conflicts, sometimes advises of those who are not in the medical profession are the most sound and sane of all. 
4. Hope is everything. Nothing could ever replace the feeling of assurance that things will be better in the future. Besides 'motivation' that pushes us to do what we have to do, 'hope' throws a life line that cannot only sustain us but gives that extra nudge to get us going. One thing that doctors always tell medical students is "We have gone through what your going through, and we have made it so don't lose hope." and it's true - somehow they have come through and because of it, they are now consultants.
5. Stress is relieved by being prepared. Be it an exam, a small group discussion, a presentation or a duty, being prepared is always a plus. In medical school, one thing that is never a passe is reading. You can never have enough reading, it is forever. Knowledge as they say is the priceless commodity of a medical student. Knowing more, reading more and understanding more means simply stressing less.