The best way to stay healthy after a test is to stay healthy going into the test. 

It’s well known that stress increases your susceptibility to illness. Something something cortisol, blah blah. You know. You studied it. 

Unfortunately, telling a medical student to not be stressed out is like telling a cat to quit sitting in boxes or a white girl to stop drinking PSLs. It’s impossible. A non-stressed med student isn’t a med student. 

So you have to work on managing stress. Give yourself time for things you enjoy. Don’t avoid parties or fun stuff out of a feeling of obligation to study. Yes, sleep like you need to and eat well, but don’t get so wrapped up in wellness that doing the healthy thing starts stressing you out. Go to the party every once in a while. You need those happy chemicals in your brain. Consider it preventive medicine. 

Find something relaxing that you can do regularly during school to help de-stress yourself. Massage, meditation, pedicures, yoga, coloring, gardening, whatever. Do something slow and calm that leaves you energized at the finish.

And personally, I tried really hard to not go into a test stressed out. My roommate and I would stop studying at like 6 and eat pizza and watch a movie the night before an exam (ours were every 6 weeks - if yours are weekly this isn’t really feasible). I wouldn’t study the morning of the test before I went in. I’d just listen to music that pumped me up or relaxed me. I truly don’t think that those few hours of study we gave up made much of a difference on our grades, but it definitely kept us sane. A big group of folks went out to lunch after tests too. The only rule was no discussing the test. It really helps. Give it a shot. 

claireplusjasper replied to your post :

Glasses people:

Are you actually DNR? (I realize my only questions to you are questioning something you’ve stated, I’m not being obnoxious I promise, I’m really just curious!)

I mean I don’t have paperwork or a tattoo on my chest to back it up or anything, but basically, yeah. Practically speaking, if I went flatline for a second on an operating table or had a sudden arrhythmia, then sure, shock me a few times and give me some epi. But I’m not about that code me all day long and let my organs shut down slowly and painfully business. And I’m definitely not about that bring-me-back-to-be-brain-dead “life”.  If I’m really sick and I code, let me go.