Take Time For Yourself

I get asked fairly often about what I do to stay sane when I’m always swamped with 345436657 things on my to-do list, so I figured I’d write a little about it today!

One of the reasons why I’ve been able to kindasorta blog throughout medical school is because I learned somewhat early on in undergrad that balance was key. I wanted to do everything because I had way too many interests, so I knew I had to learn to prioritize.

What was most difficult for me wasn’t actually the prioritizing though–it was learning to calm the constant, “you need to do this, this, this, and this,” in my mind. Learning to give myself a break every now and then was a struggle (hello, type A self!), but I definitely jump at the opportunity now (especially since I am now on senioritis part 3).

Take Time For Yourself

First and foremost…

1. Recognize that it’s okay to take time for yourself.

I think a lot of the time, we get so deeply entrenched in what we should be doing, and all the looming unfinished tasks and projects that we forget to take care of ourselves, often because we feel guilty for “wasting” time or that we’re “being selfish.”

Realize that it’s equally as important to be able to de-stress and take a break from your obligations. Taking care of yourself is not selfish–you can’t help others or work efficiently if you’re too burnt out and exhausted to function!

2. Find a hobby/interest you love and immerse yourself in it!

Notice I didn’t put that in plural form, although if you’re like me, by all means, pursue them all! Just don’t let yourself stress out about not being able to do/practice them all as much as you’d like, or it’ll cause more stress, which is the opposite of what you’re going for.

3. Treat yo’self.

Sometimes, a little reward for yourself isn’t a bad thing–it’s great motivation to keep you going, especially if you’ve been working hard at something and have finally made some progress (or completed whatever it is). One of my chamber groups used to end our weekly practice session at one of our favorite hangouts (yay food!)–It’s good for morale-boosting and team-building!

You’ll thank yourself! :P

A photo posted by Farrah @ fairyburger (@fairyburger) on Apr 8, 2016 at 9:47pm PDT

4. Spend time in good company.

I owe everything to the amazing people in my life. Without my family, my friends, this awesome blogging community, and the adorable pets and animals in my life, I sincerely doubt I’d be where I am today. <3

In fact, this whole post was actually inspired by my conversation with two of my closest friends! We don’t get to see each other too often because I’m off on the other end of the country, but thankfully, my friendships with the people I’m closest to can generally be picked up wherever it was that we last left off.

If you missed all the delicious food we made from our lovely indoor food adventure (pictured above!), check em’ out here!

• Banana Berry Smoothie Bowls
• Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes
• White Balsamic Chicken with Fruit Salsa
• Honey Matcha Toast
• Sweet Potato Waffles
• Butternut Squash Carrot Soup

5. Help others.

In the words of one of my interviewers, there’s something to be said about being kind and doing things for others. Even in my saddest moments, being able to help someone else out or make someone smile was usually a pretty effective cure-all.

If not that, then volunteering at animal rescues and cuddling cats and/or taking dogs on walks/runs generally does the trick! :]

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
—Malcolm S. Forbes.

• Do you ever feel guilty for taking a break or taking time for yourself? (Don’t!)
• How do you stay sane? What hobbies do you have that help you escape or clear your head/mind?