Dr Rishabh Garg

Batch 2019, N.C. Medical College and Hospital, Aff to PGIMS, Rohtak

Behind every white coat is a mind battling stress, sleepless nights, and silent fears. This is the untold story of how a medical student struggles with anxiety —and how to fight it.

A Recall
You can’t focus on your studies even when the exam is just a few hours away. With your heart racing and hands trembling, it feels like no matter how many revisions are done, in your head, you are blank. You promise yourself you’ll read “one more topic,” but the pages blur, and suddenly the night feels endless.

If this sounds familiar, it is certainly a medical student's anxiety. And if you’re a medical graduate—or one in the making—you know this feeling all too well.

Anxiety isn’t occasional in medicine; it’s a constant shadow. And no, it’s not because someone is weak. It’s because a career in medicine is ‘demanding’ at every step. From pre-medical exams to super-specialty training, the competition never ends. 

The Medical Journey
A medical student's anxiety is very much real.

Right from the time of admission in a medical college, sleepless nights, revisions, and the gnawing fear of failure land all medical students into a realm of anxiety at some or the other point of time.

Anatomy alone feels like a universe that you must conquer, let alone the other three subjects of the first year- Physiology, Biochemistry and PSM. Flipping through atlases, tracing muscles with your finger, whispering names under your breath- this stage is the first real encounter with academic anxiety—a test not just of knowledge, but of endurance and patience.

And to sift through this test, the one-stop solution is CBS Publishers and Distributors, who offer gems like Dr Satyanarayana’s Biochemistry, Dr Yogesh Sontakke’s Embryology , and Histology by Dr KrishnaGarg, Dr Gayatri Rath and Dr Mithlesh Chandra, BD Chaurasia’s Human Anatomy and Dr L P Reddy’s LPR’sFundamentals of Physiology – all well-equipped to seamlessly, cater to your first-year needs.

4 years after the first year come the internship and junior residency, where the ladder leans against the hospital walls. This is characterized by night duties, emergencies, and the lingering fear that you might not be able to treat a disease properly.
Spending those years amid beeping monitors, surging adrenalines when attending a patient, realizing that the lessons from textbooks were only the beginning- Can you recognize the reasons behind a medical student's anxiety? While coffee helps your body stay alert in such times, it is actually the anxiety that keeps us vigilant. 

In senior residency, responsibility deepens. You are no longer only learning—you are teaching juniors, managing wards, and emergencies, and preparing for super-specialty exams.

Every decision carries weight, every mistake teaches a lesson: The Story behind A Medical Student's Anxiety
Recall explaining procedures to anxious interns- the simultaneous fear of being wrong and pride in sharing knowledge. Stamina, patience, and multitasking is what a medical student needs here.

Advancing further into assistant/ associate professorship or super-specialization, the pressures evolve but never disappear. Balancing research, clinical duties, teaching, and personal life becomes a complex juggle.

A medical student's anxiety persists alongside ambition, but so does mastery, confidence, and resilience. Relive walking through the hospital corridors at night, exhausted but satisfied, reflecting on the patients helped, the lives touched, and the growth achieved.

Every rung of the ladder brings growth —and fresh anxieties.

A Medical Student's Anxiety and Stress: The Connection
• As a friend, stress motivates, sharpens focus, pushes you to study harder, and fuels achievement.
• As an enemy, it overwhelms you.

The exam, syllabus, time, and resources are the same for everyone. Yet one student stays calm, while another feels broken. The difference lies not in the exam, but in the mindset. This is where anxiety takes hold — when stress tips out of balance.

When the Medical Student's Anxiety Strikes Him the Hardest
For most medicos, anxiety peaks during key phases:

• Preparation phase – endless revisions, fear of falling behind, constant comparisons.

• Exam day – racing heart, trembling hands, spiralling thoughts.

• Waiting period – the long torture of “what if.”

• After results – worrying about the next stage, career choices, or specialization.

Anxiety is rarely loud. It exists quietly, invisibly, often misunderstood, most often, fuelled by overthinking.
And here’s the truth: you can’t avoid it, skip it, or evade it.

Medicine demands the spirit of a fighter, not a sufferer.

Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
As medicos, we know our body speaks before our mind does.

Anxiety can manifest as:
• Palpitations and tremors
• Breathlessness or chest tightness
• Fatigue and poor concentration
• Mood swings and irritability

Sometimes, these overlap with depression.
Unfortunately, within the medical community itself, such issues are often dismissed as “normal.” But silence intensifies the suffering.

Get acquainted with anxiety and how it takes a toll on you with ‘Essentialsof Psychiatry’ from the House of CBS.

Management of Anxiety
So, how do you tackle a medical student's anxiety? The following steps truly help:
• Identify the signals – Spotting anxiety patterns early prevents them from snowballing. If you want to get better at identifying these signals, check out – Dr R K Meher’s Competency-Based Textbook ofPsychiatry

• Seek help –Speaking out with a professor of Psychology, Psychiatry or even friends lightens the load.

Make lifestyle changes:
• Physical Activity: Exercise, gym, or brisk walk for 30–45 minutes daily.

• Dietetics: Eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and juices. Reduce caffeine, junk food, and smoking.

• Mental Health: Meditation, yoga, or 10 minutes of deep breathing helps you unwind.
Overthinking is anxiety’s closest ally. Don’t get trapped in endless “what ifs.” Accept imperfection. Make decisions and move forward.

Quick Solutions for Medical Students' Anxiety
Sometimes medicos need instant fixes:
• The 4-7-8 Breathing Trick: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Repeat thrice to calm your nerves before exams.

• Two-Minute Journaling: Write down what’s bothering you. Offloading it on paper clears your head.

• Digital Detox Hour: Switch off your phone one hour before bed. Watch your sleep quality improve dramatically.

• Mini-Meditation: 5 minutes of eyes-closed breathing between lectures will reset your mind.

A Reflection
Medically speaking, anxiety means your stress response needs direction, discipline and awareness..
Certainly, you can transform anxiety from a burden into resilience.

Closing Note
Remember! You are not a sufferer. You’re a fighter.
Medicine will test you—with exams, patients, and responsibilities. But anxiety does not define you.

From the Desk of CBS Publishers and Distributors

All the aforementioned books are available for purchase on our website www.cbspd.com.  They are also widely available across the country with all the CBS dealers and on e-commerce portals like Amazon and Flipkart. For any further information/queries about the book, we are happy to assist you via call/WhatsApp on 9599779677.