Emotional wellness concerns your ability to express your feelings, cope with stress, maintain satisfying relationships and deal with conflict. It encompasses optimism, self-esteem and self-acceptance. It involves cultivating a positive attitude, but being attentive to your negative feelings as well.
Dental school is stressful and can feel overwhelming. Whatever you’re struggling with, tell a friend, a family member or a professor about it. Reach out for help and you’ll find that there are resources available to get you excited about dentistry again.
What can you do?
Meditate or practice mindfulness | Learn to say no | Maintain realistic goals and expectations | Express your anger in a constructive way | Laugh freely | Surround yourself with positive people | Talk to someone when you struggle with your feelings | Practice your faith
Advice and insights from your peers:
- You are not an imposter - ASDA Blog, January 28, 2019
- What I did to improve my mental well-being - ASDA Blog, September 19, 2018
- Beating Dental School Depression - ASDA Blog, September 12, 2018
- Mind full or mindful? - ASDA Blog, July 25, 2018
- A review of guided meditation apps – ASDA Blog, March 14, 2018
- Avoiding the fourth year burnout - ASDA Blog, December 1, 2017
- Four ways to transform anger into positive energy – Contour, September 2017
- The positive effect of pets – ASDA Blog, Sept. 6, 2017
- Why you should use your school’s mental health resources – ASDA Blog, July 5, 2017
- Emotional eating as a dental student — Contour, April 2017
- Managing emotional wellness in dental school — ASDA Blog, Sept. 2, 2015
- Stress coping tips that actually work — ASDA Blog, Aug. 29, 2014
Two issues of Mouth, ASDA's former magazine, both focused entirely on maintaining wellness while in dental school. Both issues, Winter 2014 and Summer 2016, are available in our publication archives. The September issues of Contour always feature wellness extensively.
Resources: