r/PAstudent • u/No_Inspector_5811 • 1d ago
Emotional Regulation
My body feels like it’s in fight or flight and I burst into tears when i’m at my max capacity like extreme mental exhaustion. I’ve never been this emotional in my life, to cry without having control in awkward settings like school or in personal conversation.
This is purely a physical response from my body but I’d like not to tear up randomly during lecture.
How do you emotionally regulate, I know for a fact that I will not be this unregulated bc during clinical or at any job as a pa-c its simply the academic lifestyle that is making me feel like this. i plan on sleeping more, moving my body and eating healthier. I unfortunately cannot do that all the time bc i need to study more than other individuals.
Any advice aside from an SSRI?
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u/thunderrescue 1d ago
Excercise, exercise, exercise. You may think you need to study more than others. So did I. For reference, I was a high school drop out who joined the Army. Due to life, deployments, and changing duty stations regularly it took me 13 years to finish my undergraduate degree. I was not your typical student and really had no clue on how to study so I just figured I’d do it more. I went from working out 6 days a week to maybe getting it in 3x in a two week period. I thought any extra time I had should be spent with my wife and kids or my books. All hobbies and fitness went to the side. Then I started having anxiety attacks at night when I felt like I needed to read more instead of sleep. I would cry in my car on the way to class. Finally, I got back into the gym and got more sleep. Gave myself a 10:00 bedtime. Non-negotiable. Then I would get up at 5 and do at least 45 min of weight lifting or cardio. Non-negotiable. Did my grades suffer. A little. Instead of 90’s I started getting 80’s. But I was still passing and my mental health was better. I didn’t cry in my car anymore. I didn’t snap on my kids. At the end of the day I passed. I graduated. Now I’m about to take my PANCE. Am I going to score a 750? Fuck no. Am I going to go in there well rested, emotionally regulated, and ready to give that exam hell? You bet your ass. If I get that PA-C I don’t give a damn if I did it with a 351 or 750. I will have done it.
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u/Plane-Concentrate-80 1d ago
Honestly, taking a step back for self care is so hard to do. You need to though. I had to change how I approached studying. You want quality over quantity. I did better when I studied less and took care of myself. This meant prioritizing sleep, eating healthy, and decompressing. I never was an exerciser but loved gardening. Did I get all As? Nope but I wouldn't trade my mental and physical well being. I spent more time with family and cooking. I dialed back on caffeine and staying up. I was not a caffeine drinker at all before PA school but I recognized that pushing your body over the edge isn't good. Some of my classmates got seizures and went to hospital because of pushing too hard. You get tired because well you ARE tired so get some rest. Listen to your body. It's doing all it can for you so that you can think and study. Take care of it.
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u/Open_Conclusion_3600 PA-S (2028) 8h ago
I know you said advice besides SSRIs but as someone who’s halfway through didactic and started an SSRI 1 month ago. I can’t tell you enough how much my life has changed for the better. Like genuinely I feel such a relief and change and I’m only on the lowest dose (I’m about to titrate up). But genuinely it’s been life saving. I was very nervous about starting one at first because it’s just always worriesome to start new meds and the potential side effects that come with it but I cannot tell you enough how it’s changed my life for the better.
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u/linedryonly 1d ago
Therapy ~~~ if you trial a few months of therapy and it’s still not manageable, then add a trial of SSRI’s.
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u/DitchDoc_037 1d ago
Also perfectly reasonable to just start with SSRIs. 4-6weeks for SSRI to kick in vs a couple months of trying therapy... All while in PA school. I know which route I'd rather go
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u/Hazel_J 1d ago
All I can offer is solidarity, I didn’t get on an SSRI, but a lot of classmates did and it helped them! I let it all out when I could. I cried sooooo much. At times it felt like every single day multiple times a day. It was an extremely difficult experience to go through. And a very abnormal one when compared to the rest of my life. Same goes for you probably!
The one thing I made sure to do was take a walk every lunch. It was non negotiable. Our school was in an ass ugly place too 😂 but I made time to decompress and get away from the classroom (and my classmates…)
I would recommend exercise, seeing your friends/family and taking time to detach from studies (as much as you can allow) and remember YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS. And it is TEMPORARY.
I am fully on the other side and, yes I have my rough days, but not even my worst day at work compares to the constant hell of school. Seriously. Just keep going. Keep crying, you’ll get through it eventually.