A lot of times, while studying or beginning to prepare for the MCAT, our mind gets bogged down with thoughts that make us feel anxious, nervous, or worried. At MCAT Mastery, we know exactly what you’re going through because we’ve experienced it ourselves. There’s pressure from everywhere... Time pressure especially! So how do you stay calm in such stress-provoking times? We'd like to share some guidance and insights that we leverage when we're getting incredibly stressed.

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This has helped us, and will certainly help you stay calm, collected, and confident throughout MCAT prep... While reading this, you might be tempted to wonder where this is going, you might be tempted to make assumptions early on, but keep an open mind because this is pretty powerful stuff.

The Unexpected Key To Learning Better During MCAT Prep

Feeling worried, nervous, or anxious about the MCAT is normal...



And although some students might feel that those feelings are serving them in making them more motivated to study...



The fact is that you can be even more motivated to study and do well when you’re approaching MCAT prep from a place of enthusiasm, clear-mindedness, and inspiration.



The fact is, you learn better when you're happy. There are many studies that have shown over and over again, that positive emotions enable us to think more clearly, be more attentive, be more motivated, be more creative, and the list goes on. “It's only in the last couple of years, that people have studied positive emotions. And the positive emotions are essential for learning. It turns out those are what drive curiosity and exploration, which is how we learn about the world.” - Frank Thissen, a professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart, Germany. So not only does feeling stress and worry not feel good, it also holds us back from learning to the best of our abilities! Most people look at top scorers on the MCAT and see how confident they are during MCAT prep. The conclusion the average person draws is that they have a "reason" to be confident so they're confident.



But no one thinks that maybe the 'reasons' or the 'results' come because they are confident in the first place and don't let stress and overwhelm cloud their judgement and ability to use their mind to their full capacity.



So how can you get from being in a state of worry, frustration, and anxiety, to a state of clarity, confidence, and optimism? The Key To Transforming Your Emotions During MCAT Prep

There's a big 'positive thinking' movement that has been going on for quite a while. Personally, a lot of us do see a lot of validity in it, but if you're not into that type of thing, don't worry because in this article, we'll only be providing research backed advice (like always). We'll also have reference links at the end of this article.



So first key idea that we'd like to you to recognize is that emotions can be categorized as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’.



When you’re feeling an emotion, it’s in either one of the two categories. Obvious? Good.



Now although this can be argued, generally when we think about something, the emotions follow the thought.



For example, when we're studying and the thought of the MCAT coming up soon props up into our mind, that triggers the worry.



Secondly, recognize that our thoughts reside in one of three places; in the past, in the future, or in the present. When you’re thinking, you’re thinking about what happened (past), or what’s going to happen (future), or what’s happening (now). So et’s list some negative emotions... (You are probably feeling or will feel some of these during your MCAT journey…)

Anger

Worry

Anxiety

Sadness

Guilt

Regret

Now let’s look at where the thoughts reside, when these emotions are felt…



Anger: in the past because one's angry about something that happened

Worry: in the future because one's worried about something that's going to happen *cough*MCAT*cough*

Anxiety: in the future

Sadness: in the past

Guilt: in the past

Regret: in the past

Key Insight: Negative emotions are usually associated with thoughts in the past or the future. Now let’s list out some positive emotions:

Joy

Pleasure

Excitement

Enthusiasm

Delight

Fascination

Euphoria

Relief

Notice, all these emotions are emotions you feel when you're focused on the present moment. Think about it, when you’re laughing with friends in joy, you’re not concerned about your exams. When you’re on a roller coaster or are having sex, you’re not thinking about how you handed in your assignment late. When you’re engrossed in a good movie, you’re not thinking about a question you got wrong. Key Insight: Positive emotions are usually associated with the present moment. The present moment can be addictive as well. When you’re in the present, you’re relieved from any burdens you're carrying (consciously or unconsciously). Alcohol and drugs are tools that bring people in the present moment – it helps them ‘escape temporarily’ from the negativity in their lives. Once people sober up, they’re back to reality and are looking forward to having their escape again. Alcohol and drugs aren't the only addictive shortcuts to the present moment; porn is another one, so is overeating, and scrolling through Facebook news feeds. To be clear, we're not advocating 'escaping' from your emotions in such ways. Our goal here is not to help you 'escape' from your emotions, but to manage them in a healthy way during your MCAT prep so as a result, you learn a lot more proficiently.



Knowing that you learn better, are more motivated, are more creative, have better memory, etc., when you're in a positive emotional place... And knowing that a valuable key to unlocking the positive emotional place is through stepping into the present moment....



What if you could cultivate a present-state awareness at will , so you can continuously be in a state of complete positivity, enthusiasm, curiosity, and excitement while you're studying, so you're learning better?



Or what if you could cultivate that present state awareness even when you're taking a break from studying, so that when you're taking a break, you're actually taking a break instead of worrying about how you're not studying!



Getting high results while being happy the whole time? That sounds like an amazing life if you ask us, and the best part is, with some practice it can become a possibility for you.



Like everything else we teach, you can use the MCAT as a motivating 'excuse' to develop this skill ASAP, and carry it with you for the rest of your life.



So the question is...



How do you achieve this present state awareness regularly during MCAT study?



That’s what we want to show you...



But first, you might not be entirely convinced of the power of being in the present moment. You might be wondering if he we're about to go heavy into some ‘new age pseudoscience' kind of stuff.



As the future doctor that you are, you'll appreciate something we dug up...



We'd like to introduce you to Julie Connelly, MD who has written an article about this in the Journal of Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).



The article is called:



Being in the present moment: developing the capacity for mindfulness in medicine.



(Full article link is below for reference)



You can read the abstract if you want - here's a portion of it: “Medical practice is beset by interruptions, contests for the attention of the physician, and urgent demands that diminish the attentiveness required for the humanistic care of patients. This essay discusses skills for "being in the present moment" that can help doctors to overcome distractedness... Applying these skills in everyday practice rewards the physician with renewed energy, a fresh perspective, and increased strength while preventing the stress and harm caused by a distracted or inattentive practice.”

Psst! Watch This Video After: How This 515 MCAT Scorer Dealt With MCAT Stress & Anxiety Using Mindfulness

Here's where you hopefully caught a glimpse of the bigger picture; this isn't just about MCAT prep, it's about excelling in your medical practice... It's about training yourself now, to be the kind of individual that can get through med-school and become a doctor who exudes clarity and confidence.



The MCAT was created as a filtering mechanism - to identify those who are likely to be future doctors. It's one of the biggest reasons why the MCAT is such a brutal process...



Because AAMC wants to see if like a med-school student (or more importantly, like a doctor) you can manage such high level of pressure and stress and at the same time, achieve your objectives while remaining calm, collected, and clear-headed.



Those are the students who tend to dominate the MCAT and we want to make sure you're one of them.



With that said, we have tips and advice on how you can leverage everything you've learned so far and remain present in your daily lives and especially during MCAT prep.



Here are 3 simple strategies you can start implementing right away during your MCAT prep…

3 Simple Strategies For Achieving Present State Awareness During MCAT Prep