Excuses for why I haven’t blogged for ages…

Em (former blog contributor)

16 February 2015

I haven’t blogged in over a month. And almost every day I’ve thought to myself ‘I’m going to blog today’ … and then haven’t. On the plus side, I now have LOTS to blog about. (Translation: a long list of excuses for why I haven’t blogged.) (DW – I’ve added lots of cute cat pictures so you don’t get bored!)

Term 2 is now well underway; it’s both better and more effort than the first term. Better because we’re learning about the body systems rather than all the boring A-level-with-added-enzymes stuff we did last term. More effort because we’ve had loads of assignments. (By loads I mean we’ve had to hand in two so far this term … But there’s another due in on Friday and a few more by the end of term!)

Now that Arts Revue is over, I have a lot more time: technically to get on with all the work I haven’t been doing; in reality…

My excuse is that I’m recovering from Arts Revue, which happened just over a week ago. Since the beginning of term Light Opera society were rehearsing 5 songs from musicals, and rehearsals were most Tuesdays and Thursdays plus some weekends. So pretty full on (hence no work) but so much fun 🙂 until I had to drop out a few days before the show due to illness 🙁

I already miss opera loads – such an amazing, talented, funny, lovely group of people – being in opera’s like being part of a big family 🙂

Review of Arts Revue here: http://felixonline.co.uk/cands/5254/art-explosion-tops-off-icsm-rag-week/

Choir performed in Arts Revue too, and are also preparing for this term’s concert on 7^th March. One of the songs we’re singing is Disney 🙂 (although personally I think we should ONLY sing Disney!)

A lot of us from Opera and Choir went to a Ceilidh a couple of weeks ago, organised by ICSM Christian Medics Fellowship, which was probably the most exercise and definitely the most fun I’ve had in ages. It was ICSM’s first ever Ceilidh – hopefully the first of many.

This term I’ve also been getting involved in organising Mental Health Awareness Week, which is happening at the end of term. This is a topic I’m pretty passionate about, and I’m really excited to be involved. Especially as the plans involve a Ball Pool and Space Hoppers…

Mental Health was something I’d never given much thought to until I started suffering from depression. Mental illness can be hard to understand unless you have personal experience; furthermore, there’s still a lot of stigma surrounding it, which can make asking for help harder. However, 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year, and doctors and medical students are amongst those at greater risk. The support I’ve received since coming to medical school has been amazing – from my Senior Tutor, the Wardens in my halls of residence, and other students. Psychiatry Society holds ‘Mind Matters’ sessions which are an opportunity to meet with other people suffering from mental health problems or interested in mental health to discuss balancing studying with maintaining good mental health, coping strategies etc. I’m also in IC Yoga Club, as I find yoga really helps me to relax and de-stress.

Our ICSMSU Welfare Officer Jennie (who is also in charge of organising MH Awareness Week, and helps PsychSoc in running their ‘Mind Matters’ sessions) recently wrote an article for the Felix (IC student newspaper) about the (lack of) financial support available to 5^th and 6^th years following a survey she’d carried out – one problem highlighted by the survey was that for some students financial problems have impacted on their mental health. Overall, the results of the survey and the lack of support available to 5^th and final year medics are pretty shocking, and something I was completely unaware of when applying for medicine. Read about it here: http://felixonline.co.uk/comment/5161/its-time-to-tackle-medics-money-problems/