How to LIVE thru the Spaces of #MedLife

Ever find yourself feeling like your world has shrunk into this tiny ball where all there is are books and slides and exams? Well that tunneling is the start of psychological burnout. Keep it up and the next stage is a list of frustration-dripping questions that start with “Why am I here?” and “Is this all worth it, really?” then it all goes downhill from there.

According to Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist), in calligraphy, as much as the written letters are important, so are the spaces. So as much as studying is important, so is what we do outside of school.

Here are some simple suggestions to spend your spaces on to prevent burnout. Why not try them out and see if they indeed work like people claim!

1. Read stories related to Medicine and health.

…when you find yourself losing track of your own goals as a medical student – the ones that seemed so clear when you first started... When you start questioning why you’re even enrolled in medschool... Yep, these are the books for you. Read novels, short stories, biographies about doctors and healthcare providers rocking it. Doctors by Erich Segal, The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich and Nothing Lasts Forever by Sidney Sheldon might just do the trick in reminding you why it's all worth it!

2. Read stories that are so NOT about medicine.

                You know those times when you are feeling so sick and tired that another piece of literature about sick people would just about make you throw up? When you start asking “Is this all there is to life?” and now you mean it literally and not philosophically? Try picking a book about lawyers, about fashion, about romance and family. Better yet, pick a fantastical fiction with a lot of humor. Try the Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder or the Sherlocke Holmes series. Anything to remind you that there is a bigger world than medschool and we just all have our own parts in it.

3. Explore your creative side.

                Every medical student (at least the average mudbloods like me) has experienced trying so hard and failing exams nonetheless – feeling so not in control. Art helps with that. A wise man once said that art is the closest thing there is to feel like gods. He meant it was the ultimate act of control – to create. So after a particularly grueling week, try picking up a piece of charcoal to a blank pad, try watercolor, sculpt, do paper mache, anything that ends up with a piece that might be or might not be useful but is an expression of how you currently feel! You can even repaint your whole room with a color you want if you feel like it. Just remember that the goal is not to produce something Louvre-worthy, but to create. Period. To take back control and feel productive.

4. Ditch the bars and party at home.

                If you and your friends are also friends with alcohol (like me and mine), try this alternative to bar-hopping: Hit the liquor store and stock up on supplies. Hole up in one of your friends’ houses and have fun creating your own cocktail drinks. There are a lot of recipes online but I say creativity is not only seen on canvass and terra cotta. Plus, it’s safer to get wasted and the bonding with your friends is more real, I tell you.

5. Lalala Musika!

                You are not talented in music (you have proven it many times over, you swear) and you are so far from becoming the next Jimi Hendrix. So what? Pick up a guitar, a ukulele, the piano or whatever musical instrument you’ve picked as a kid while watching Good Charlotte, and learn. You can enroll in classes but being med students, our schedules are not exactly the most flexible -- so try online courses. Hey, try Youtube.com! There’s no feeling like learning to play your first song all on your own. Don’t worry about precision. Beethoven would tell you himself, it is the passion that counts!

6. Choose your friends wisely.

                Shopping for friends is like shopping for clothes. You not only think about what you want but what you need. Sounds cold and calculated, huh? But it’s pretty mature and efficient, nonetheless. Consider your personality and decide what kind of friends would likely help you become a better person. You’re the gloomy kind? Pick the energetic, fun and crazy bunch. You’re the insanely maniac kind? Pick the somber kind of friends who are more likely to tell you off when you’re starting to go overboard. Pick the ones who challenge your ideas and don't think like you. That is one way we grow.

7. Plant something.

                Watch it grow. Just knowing you helped it along, made it possible would make you feel useful, productive, better.

8. Work out.

               

Set your own schedule, but make it regular. It is scientifically proven that physical exertion causes the release of hormones that lift mood and boost mental prowess. Moreover, repeated mechanical body movement, like walking or jogging, relaxes the mind through a kind of hypnosis as it focuses on keeping your balance and maintaining sync. Plus, losing the extra padding we get from sitting around all day is of course an added bonus!

9. Have a pet.

                If you are quite sure you won’t kill it through neglect. A fish, a dog, a hamster (my housemate just got herself one, smart girl!), a cat. I know a medical student with an iguana. I might get myself a tuko one day just to startle me awake when coffee loses its power to keep me alert at 3 am.

There are a lot more tricks and stunts out there and perhaps we can scrounge up a few more for a second article. In the meantime, have fun with these! Remember, the goal is to do something that makes you feel good about yourself while you’re in the spaces. That way, when we get back to studying, it would feel like we just came from vacation!

-Iza Layla Lacadin