Inspired by my med school journey😊 – if I could walk you through it😅
Medschool is tough…..”I am tougher!” I believed. I had barely made it through my first weeks when I realized how tough it really was. Quitting simply wasn’t on the table. I had to find solutions pretty quick, to survive and hopefully thrive. This is how I did it for the different aspects in life; hope it helps you too.
Academics📚 ~ the elephant in the room.
Comfort in numbers is so real and it works!!! I got a discussion group and we shared the burden.
DON’T WALK THE JOURNEY ALONE! If ye have ears…🌝
Also, working smart– discover what works for you early enough and stick to it. There’s a lot to cover, you don’t want to spend all your time with methods that don’t work for you. Be prepared, find your way.
Clinicals🩺
Oh! I could write a whole book on this. For a girl who feared practicals, how could I settle for the most practical course? Was it the best choice? I wonder….😅
Here’s what I’ll tell you- Every master was once a beginner, every pro, once an amateur~Robin Sharma~
Give it your time, effort and commitment and you’ll surely hack it.💯
Friendships💕
No man is an island ~John Donne~ and A sweet friendship refreshes the soul~Proverbs 27:9
Smart as you are, you must have noticed the repetition by now- Don’t walk the journey alone!!!
Get a meaningful friendship and hang on to it- quality over quantity!
Mental Health🥹
With the right amount, or rather the wrong amount of pressure,we all can tip to the other side in matters mental health. Depression used to be such a foreign concept when joining school until a close friend confessed to be at the brink of it. My whole outlook on the matter changed and I realised I needed to be a more intentional and caring friend sensitive to what the people around me were going through.
We talked of working smart, so since being in med school is a negative risk factor😅 we need to get some protective habits into play:
First, schedule rest and actually rest, (I see you, burnt out but still killing yourself to catch up on patho) Don’t be too hard on yourself, take the rest when needed🥹. Second, have safe outlets, talk about it – there’s nothing new under the sun. If you are going through something, there definitely must be someone else who went through it!
Mine was an anxiety battle🥺 What really helped was sharing about how I felt to my close friends who’d debulk the situations for me and help me cope. Beyond this, what brought me peace most of the times was crying out to the Lord.
Life😁
It will always keep moving, don’t postpone it. Show up for your family and your friends. Some experiences can’t be postponed… Just make it work! Plan! Plan! Plan yourself!
Doubts😥
Doubts will always be there but don’t let them deter you– consult the person next to you and you might really be shocked how similar your doubts are! Personally, I would feel so anxious and wonder whether or not I was in the right path….it’s a common thing in your early years… right? But what if it’s in your senior years😢? This made me feel so defeated😓. Everyone else looked like they had everything figured out, everyone but me. I shared this with a mentor once, and her response has kept me grounded to this day — even when the doubts creep in.
“Everyone quits medicine at some point,” she said.
It reminded me that the struggle is normal and shared — not a sign to stop, but an invitation to keep going. I realised that perhaps most people, like me, don’t always have everything figured out, and it’s okay. I don’t know if this will have the same effect on you as it does on me but keep pushing through 🫂🫂
~Olivia’s nuggets🤗
He who started a good work in you shall surely bring it to completion.
Trust in the Lord as you walk this journey, show up and do your best, when it gets too much- Rest!