Aaliyah S.
Photo provided by Aaliyah S.
If you’re reading this, remember to be kind to yourself and give yourself grace.
With the busy schedule of medical school—constantly either in lectures or attending extracurriculars to gain hands-on experience—it’s easy to push aside activities that we normally enjoy due to our “priorities.” However, I realized that I could push aside things I enjoy to study for the next test or spend an extra hour in the lab because school will always be a priority. But in order to function at my best, I also must make time to prioritize not just my medical education, but the simple things in life that I enjoy. I strongly believe that we, as medical students and future physicians, need to take care of ourselves in order to successfully take care of others.
Amongst the demanding workload of medical school, I constantly sprinkle in time for activities that I genuinely enjoy throughout the week. For me, this ranges from simply going to Target to shop and browse, ordering myself a cute blouse I can wear to school, or chatting with my friends over a sweet treat. These moments of detaching and disconnecting from the constant studying refresh and reenergize me to continue studying. Prioritizing myself can sometimes be difficult when there is a really big test next week, but I have to remind myself that this is what the rest of my life is going to look like. There is always going to be something really important the next week that I need to focus on, but I also need to concentrate on myself in order to be successful. In the grand scheme of things, spending a little extra time browsing Target is not going to determine how successful I am in medical school. If anything, allowing myself those small moments away from studying helps prevent burnout and allows me to come back feeling refreshed and ready to focus.
Of course, I can study 24/7 and not do anything outside of medical school, but I do not believe that makes me a well-rounded student or individual. I think it is easy to forget that there is a life outside of medical school, and simply indulging in simple pleasures, like putting on a face mask and talking with my mom for the night, allows me to continue enjoying the things I did before coming to medical school and will hopefully continue to enjoy even after graduating. Such activities allow me to continue to be me while pursuing a career in medicine.
I am also a big advocate of the idea that if you do not make time, you will never have time. That is something that constantly reminds me to plan my time accordingly, especially when considering how much time I am devoting to different tasks. Creating a schedule that works for me took some time and tweaking, and even to this day, I have to change my schedule according to my school workload—and that is completely okay. Adaptability is key when it comes to keeping up with my schedule and being okay with the fact that if I fall off schedule, I can get back on track, or I might need to make a completely different schedule in order to get everything done. Adaptability is critical as a physician, as each day can bring unexpected challenges that require me to adjust while balancing my responsibilities and continuing to provide quality care for my patients.
It took me some time in medical school to realize that all of my time does not need to be devoted to studying in order to be successful. Taking the time to make a nutritious meal that I enjoy eating goes toward fueling my brain, which works so hard to grasp and understand such a substantial amount of knowledge. Similarly, taking the time to clean my apartment so that I am not studying in a cluttered space indirectly contributes to more focused study time.
Ultimately, I have learned that maintaining balance in medical school does not mean having a perfect schedule or having everything figured out. It means recognizing when I need to give myself grace, adapting when things do not go as planned, and making time for the parts of my life that make me feel like myself. Medical school is an incredibly important part of my life, but it is not the entirety of who I am. As I continue through this journey, I hope to carry that perspective with me—not only as a medical student, but eventually as a physician. So, if you’re reading this, remember to make time for yourself, enjoy the little things in life, and most importantly, give yourself grace.
Aaliyah S., Second Year Medical Student
Several studies have revealed that medical students, physicians, and healthcare professionals experience mental health symptoms at rates significantly higher than the general population. Stethos[Cope] is a chapter of IfYoureReadingThis designed to help medical students and professionals cope with the unique stressors of medical training and change the narrative of mental health in medicine.
To read more letters and interviews from students, and to learn more about mental health in the medical community, visit the Stethos[Cope] home page.