I'm happy to say I've been adapting a bit better to my new rotation. It's difficult and challenging, but I'm making progress. I'm still pretty anxious, because I don't want to make a mistake or be too slow or awkward at procedures.
Anxiety has to be one of the most common feelings I've seen in my co residents. It really comes up later in conversations, and doesn't usually come up at the start when the other residents and I get together.
I've lost close to 10 pounds over the course of this month, I think mostly from psychological and physical stress. It's pretty surprising to me, because I haven't made any dietary changes and have a rather light exercise routine.
I mostly deal with my anxiety by knowing I'll eventually get better with my skills and gain more experience. I had very high levels of anxiety when I first started PGY2, and things have gotten better with time. I sometimes wish I had a special psychologist to help me with work related issues, and I've yet to still find a faculty member I can talk to because I feel like anything I say will make me look like a weak problem resident as opposed to people who just outwardly appear upbeat and confident.
I'm so exhausted today and still have many hours to go until my work is done. Let me know if you have experienced any anxiety in medical school or residency, and what your experiences have been. Thanks for reading
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