Sometimes we can find ourselves stuck in unhelpful, thought patterns that lead us to feel overwhelmed. This can impact our mood and ultimately how we show up at work, in our relationships and in other areas of our lives.  Overthinking is an unhealthy habit in which the negative, critical, internal running commentary analyzes behaviors or words by others and concludes that the intent was negative.

It can be easy to get swept up in the excitement of a job offer and immediately say, “Yes, I’ll accept!” During the interview, you probably already learned a lot about the organization and role; however, it is imperative that you take even more time – once an offer is in hand – to get clarity on job specifics. If you have recently been offered a position, here are some points to consider:

Post written by guest blogger Emily Grugan; Postbac IRTA fellow, OITE Summer Program Staff Assistant

Emotional intelligence is our ability to identify and regulate our emotions, communicate in effective ways, have empathy for others, and work through conflict in constructive ways. You may notice that you have strengths in certain areas of emotional intelligence and room for improvement in others.  We are not born with a fixed emotional intelligence; we are able to improve these skills throughout our lives.

With close attention being paid to mental health, particularly in the workplace, we are all becoming more aware of its importance. This shift in awareness is certainly important, but too often the conversations we are having about this topic are happening through a deficit lens – one that is solely focused on the treatment or avoidance of illness.

People often reach out for support around time management, hoping that with the right system, tracker, trick, or calendar gadget, they will be primed for ultimate productivity and success. Unfortunately, the answer is rarely that simple and it almost never lies in a fancy planner or app. Time management is connected to and impacted by several different factors - our values, our environment, our motivation and energy, and our physical and mental health, to name a few – which is why there is no one-size fits all intervention here.

Each person’s mental health exists on a continuum, often fluctuating due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to, the state of our physical health, the stressors we’re navigating, or typical life changes like loss or gain of a relationship, a move, or job change. It’s no surprise then that most of us will experience mental health concerns at some point in our lives.

Performance anxiety is defined as the fear of performing a specific task. Many of us have experienced some physical and/or psychological distress before a major event in our life.  These events can include speaking in front of people, taking an exam, an interview for a new position, or a presentation at work. Performance anxiety is extremely common, affecting roughly 40% of all adults in the U.S.

This is a time of year when some trainees may have more than one opportunity/offer to choose a medical school, graduate program acceptance, or job offer. 

Sometimes, trainees are clear about their top choice right away and sometimes the decision is harder.

Ruth Chang from the University of Oxford has given a thoughtful TED talk about situations like these.

Waiting for news about our future, whether that be about grad or med school, a new job, or a health diagnosis, can be hard to tolerate. With it often comes feelings of anxiety, fear of the unknown, or worry about potential news we’re not hoping for. These feelings are often intense and highly uncomfortable so we can find ourselves coping with them by distracting, numbing, avoiding, or constantly checking our devices for any new information that may have come in the last few minutes. This can sometimes feel like a new-found anxiety.