Self-Doubt is Overpowering my Life Decisions.
I am currently in a non-traditional pre-med course, but has decided, after months of thinking, that I want to pursue Medical School. I have already bought reviewers, watched videos, and slowly started telling people in my life that I was going to pursue this path. I planned on working for a year, so that I can save and study for the NMAT, which is a very important test on whether one gets into medical school here, and also at the same time try to atleast self-study on the basics on the topics I would have already learned if I initially went into a pre-med course.
But now my self-doubt is taking over me, I'm afraid of failing med school because I'm not smart enough, or if I do pass med school and start my residency, what if I make a mistake, risking someone's life. Now i'm asking myself am I really gonan be able to live up and be good enough of a doctor if I do get through everything? Will it be worth it?
I am really scared, I have been shutting people off my life because I was so indecisive, and now that I actually made a decision, my overthinking and self-doubts is killing me.
I just need some advice.
@Potato2529
Many people IMO do this to themselves even on items that are not as serious.........i doubt anyone out there has not had this type thought go through their head ......
If it is something you really want to pursue do it ......... Life is full of what ifs....... the difference between people is if they let these thoughts over ride all others....... Take one thing at a time study and prepare then take the test........... do not worry about a maybe years down the road.......
If life was a real road all the people sitting on the side doing nothing would be those who talked themselves out of moving down the road.
It is a positive thing to be able to think of what you would like yourself to be doing 3-5 years down the road. Make it into a goal-setting purpose, but at the same time, do not let that tie you down. Imagining yourself doing your residency, can become a drive/motivation to work towards that time in your studies.
For now though, try and stay focused on preparing for that exam. I believe that we always tend to doubt our decisions, whether there's a better option or if we're going in to right direction. Every decision we make though, there will almost always be risks that come with it, but once we're feeling definite about the choice we made. We need to stand firm and give it our 100% effort to make it happen. Remember, there will always be obstacles (self-doubts, overthinking) that will appear out of nowhere, but deal with them head-on, and learn from it. What can you do to jump over that hurdle? Is there a different way you can get around it?
Once you are down the road in choosing the field of study, with doctors, there are so many different branches. It could be in General Practice, you could be a surgeon, even with a Ph.D, there are many different fields of medicine you can choose from. You can choose a specialty when the time comes. There's no reason at the moment for you think about "What if I make a mistake and put someone's life at risk?" These thoughts are way too early for you to worry about. Know that when the time really comes, you'll be well-educated enough so that you won't be making any mistakes in your practice.
I understand it's sometimes difficult to not think about the worst-case-scenarios, and it's probably an automatic thought for those who have anxiety and depression, but do know that those scenarios are almost always just our imaginary running wild. Not exactly have any evidence or proof that it will really happen. Reassure yourself to not get ahead of yourself, whether that be in your thoughts, or actions.
Focus on the present, on that entrance exam. That's all you should be thinking about and working on at the moment.
@Potato2529