Five Things I Did to Improve My Mental Health
Make Time For Yourself.
Every. Single. Day.
Medical school is rough. I get lost in it sometimes. And for a while, I discovered that “sometimes” usually meant “when preparing for an exam.”
So, everyday before an exam I made sure to always make time for myself. Whether it was watching TV, taking a nice walk, baking, or even a little retail therapy — I found something to ease the mind before the test.
Talk to Your Loved Ones.
Regularly.
I made sure to take time out to text my parents, brothers, friends and significant other every week to let them know how I was doing and to ask them how they are doing.
It seems as if when you enter medical school, time freezes for you, but it doesn’t stop for others. I have friends who are in between careers. They’re excited to tell me of their new transitions. I have a new niece who is growing like crazy every day. I love seeing weekly photos of her growth. I have friends who are taking the next step in their lives with marriages. Peoples live’s are changing around me, just as my own is changing before my eyes.
Time doesn’t stop for others. In reality, despite the medical school blinders, it doesn’t stop for me either. It’s nice to know that I have such a huge support group along the way.
Excercise.
Find time.
Exercise is the best remedy to burn off stress. I have noticed that on the weeks I do cardio workouts I feel infinitely better than on the weeks I don’t. I even made a promise to myself to at least do three days of cardio on weeks of exams, because that’s when I feel the best.
Don’t Over-Study.
When I study more than I can handle, my mental health declines.
And in the end, I not only feel overworked, but overtired.
I feel groggy, downbeat, restless, and perhaps most important, I don’t perform as well on exams. It’s a hard balance to discover — and equally hard to consistently achieve — but I’ve found time and time again that avoiding over-studying is a major factor in my overall success.
When You Can, Explore.
Post-adventure, my state of mind was ready to tackle anything in its course.
Taking breaks from school always made me feel extremely relaxed and reset my state of mind. Vacations and breaks helped me to maintain my sanity and reminded me that I needed to enjoy myself to do well.
And the getaways don’t have to be luxurious. For me, anything from a one-day trip out of town to a long weekend along the coast or in the mountains helped to clear my mind.
As most medical students will attest, few things are better than a clear mind.
Catherine Le
Osteopathic Medical Student - 2nd Year (OMS II)
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences