Question

Rory is a pre-med student. Both of her parents are physicians. Growing up, Rory never thought about being anything but a physician. She says she wants to be a physician, but she also feels a lot of pressure from her parents to be one. She is aware of how competitive it is to get into medical school, so she’s very concerned about getting good grades. As midterms approach, Rory feels herself getting more and more stressed. She’s having trouble sleeping, feels sick to her stomach, and has completely lost her appetite. She has gotten into several arguments with her roommate lately. To avoid further conflict, Rory tries to spend as much time away from her room as possible, often studying at the library until closing and then moving into her residence hall’s lounge. She often doesn’t get to bed until three or four in the morning, even though she has a Spanish class that meets every day at 9 a.m.
1. Rory is making some mistakes in terms of dealing with her stress. What is one thing she could do to protect herself from stress?

A. Continue to avoid her roommate.
B. Drop her Spanish class so she can sleep later.
C. Get more sleep.
D. Cut off contact with her parents so she no longer feels pressured to please them.

2. Which behavior is NOT likely to help Rory relieve her stress?

A. Keep the payoff in mind.
B. Reward herself for achieving small goals.
C. Prayer, meditation, yoga, or exercise.
D. Take long, daytime naps to catch up on sleep.

3. Rory decides to sit her parents down to discuss her anxiety with them. What should she NOT say during the conversation?

A. “You are making me crazy! I need you to either lay off the pressure or stay out of my life.”
B. “I’m feeling extremely stressed trying to manage my school, home and family life and could really use your support.”
C. “Although I’ve always thought I wanted to follow in your footsteps and be a physician, seeing how much stress this course of study is causing me, I need you to respect that it might not be for me.”
D. “School is causing me a lot of stress and I’d really like you to tell me about your path toward being a physician and if you ever felt this way. If so, how did you overcome it?”

Answer 1

1. Answer is "C", Get more sleep.

Explanation:  Lack of sleep can lead to anxiety, depression, and academic struggles.

2. Answer is "D", Take long daytime naps to catch up on sleep.

3. Answer is "A", “You are making me crazy! I need you to either lay off the pressure or stay out of my life.”

Bonus Question: Which is NOT an example of a strategy Rory should try to establish better sleeping habits?

Answer: Sleep in late on weekends to make up for sleep lost by getting up early on weekdays.