Category: Mental Health and Wellness

Reducing anxiety can settle nerves and increase focus. Working on our mental health impacts all areas of our lives.

The “How are You?” Dilemma: Freedom in Honesty

February 10, 2023 / Aleena Brown

I must admit, February of Intern year isn’t the best. The high of being a resident has worn off to the everyday stress and anxiety that comes with the job. I spent January on a block of nights and clinic. At our program, we will do a week of nights (Sunday through Saturday 6pm-6am) followed by a week of clinic (Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00). Transitioning to nights isn’t that hard for me. I’ll take a nap Sunday afternoon, drink my latte (thank you Jacob!), and walk to keep myself awake in the hospital. Switching back to days is a completely different story. Trying to get my internal clock to straighten out seems to take days, but the clock keeps ticking and we keep moving forward.

Living in Northern Indiana brings weird weather, comfort food, and kind people. It is common, and almost law, to say “hello”, “good morning”, or “how are you?” when you walk past someone, honestly anyone. When you give pleasantries out like candy, are they actually said in a sincere and inquisitive manner? After our “hellos” and the inevitable “how are you,” I found myself internally asking “do you really want to know?” And one day, I truly asked.

On my second week of nights solo, I came into our work room like a whirlwind. There wasn’t any specific event that caused my stress and anxiety to be elevated, it just was. My lunch was thrown in the fridge and my computer got up and running. The list of patients was completely new to me and longer than I had anticipated. My fellow intern was working in the emergency room and came in to finish her notes. The conversation started like normal: “Hey Aleena”… “Hi”… “How are you?” I looked up from the computer and studied her for one second, and then two. My mind felt like a dumpster fire. On one hand, I could make this conversation stop quickly. I could say “doing all right” or “okay” and it would be over. Or I could be honest. Wasn’t that a scary thought? I knew I wasn’t “all right”, I wasn’t “okay”. I knew this intern was a safe person. I wouldn’t be ridiculed, I wouldn’t be dismissed. How lucky was I to have a friend and coworker that I knew would pause with me. So, I said… “honestly?” Her retort was quick and so much like her I wanted to laugh. “Obviously,” she chuckled. “I’m surviving.” Pause. She turned to look at me then too. She knew, she understood. Even if we didn’t talk about it, if we weren’t honest, interns all knew that feeling of surviving. I’m sure it continues through residency, but getting through this day, this week was all I could focus on. “Yeah,” she said. Her voice was softer and held a hint of sadness too. Our conversation wasn’t long. The job needed to get done, but in that moment I offered myself the freedom to be honest in the “how are you?” dilemma. I cried later that shift, around 3am, when putting my emotions aside no longer became an option and it poured out of me in tears. It wasn’t any specific trigger. Instead it was all of the small things I was carrying for too long: not seeing my husband and daughter, not sleeping well, feelings of isolation, my own imposter syndrome and feeling inadequate, feeling lost and a drift, ruminating on my tough cases, the patients I lost, and those I had to tell terrible news. All the small boxes had grown taller than me and too heavy to hold, it was inevitable that I would trip.

I’ve spoken and written many times about my own mental health, the highs and lows. I’ve talked about my struggles and worked to be honest and open about those things in the last few years. I’m here to tell you it’s still hard. It’s hard to be honest, be vulnerable, and open. It’s difficult to let people see all of you, including the dark and twisty parts of you. I hope moving forward I can be honest in those moments, and I hope I’m given the space and grace to allow that.

I want to encourage all those who read this to be intentional with the words you say, even to strangers. Be ready for the response when you ask a question. Allow your fellow humans to be vulnerable and offer a safe space. If time does not allow for a conversation, wish them well as you walk by. You’re allowed to break tradition with the “How are yous”. If the question is thrown your way, at least be honest with yourself. Take a moment out of your morning to assess your own well-being, and if you find yourself just surviving or just holding on, reach out and get help. You deserve more out of like than just surviving.

My days, and nights, are busier than they used to be, but I am always ready to talk with friends over coffee.

Stealing a Precious Moment in Time

April 13, 2021 / Jacob Brown

My wife and I wanted to capture more of our lives which resulted in purchasing a camera just before last Christmas. I made a post a while back on what we were going to purchase, but I haven’t taken the time to put together a summary of how we are enjoying ourselves. We have been able to secure taking photos of my friends and family which has offered good practice. It has taken some time to get good practice, but we are getting closer to feeling comfortable taking photos for others. Taking photos for others is one of my goals in this venture, but there is a lot of practice required before feeling comfortable. I don’t want to take photos of someone just to have all of the photos be bad or have some sort of flaw. This is probably one of my greatest fears in photography!

My Brief Analysis

I’m not going to write a review of the camera that we purchased because there are plenty on the internet. I have not experienced the camera long enough to write a strong detailed review, but maybe someday. We made the decision to purchase a Sony Mirrorless camera. Now, you may be wondering why we didn’t purchase the tried and true DSLR. The reason we did not purchase a DSLR is… there really isn’t a reason against the DSLR. We purchased a mirrorless camera in part because it is newer technology but I also thought that it would be fun to try. I know people with DSLR cameras and I thought it would be fun to try something different. The biggest difference that I have seen between it and a DSLR, is having a screen inside the viewfinder. This has been very nice and seems to have made taking photos easier than with a DSLR. The quality that we have gotten from the camera is very high. I think that a lot of the photos we’ve taken are professional quality. I have found that if I want to take easy photos, I can set it up to be just as easy as a smartphone.

Having the ability to manual focus has been new as well. I have not had the option and it is not a standard feature on smartphones. I have enjoyed getting to pick our point of focus and created more depth in our photos. My wife enjoys taking photos in this fashion that have a lot of bokeh (focusing on an object with lots of blur in the surround objects). I like taking control of the camera and making all of the setting myself even though the camera is pretty smart.

I would say that overall my experience with the Sony Mirrorless camera has been very good. It has only been about 5 months, but it seems that its only getting better.

My Photography Goals

One of my main goals while taking up photography is to capture more of our lives. It can be difficult to take things or materialistic items with us due to being in medical school, but we can take thousands and thousands of photos without much trouble. We are hoping to detail our lives for our own sake so that we can someday share our memories with our families. I have found that most people lost the art of the scrap book, but we want to keep files of our photos in a similar fashion.

After getting good at taking photos I would like to venture out to help others experience the joy of seeing a moment from their lives. It’s not an easy task (capturing a moment from someone’s life in a photo) but it is something that I would like to strive to achieve. My wife is in medical school which makes her pretty busy. I am reaching out to find new hobbies and challenges to fill my time that can also carry over to when my wife becomes a practicing doctor. I am hoping that photography will become a lifelong hobby that we can enjoy together.

Failure – Let’s Talk About It.

January 20, 2021 / Aleena Brown

What if we talked about our failures.

What if we posted about them as much as our successes. What if you posted that picture where your makeup isn’t done… your hair isn’t styled. What if we could be a little more real with each other.

I had a conversation with a friend recently. We aren’t super close, but I try to be a person who will listen to anyone who needs a safe place.

I had chosen to sit by the windows for lunch. Seeing the trees outside keeps me calm in the craziness of the hospital. I could tell this student was a little flustered. I offered them a seat and to eat with me. They sat down and started talking. We talked about all sorts of stuff. The rotation we were on, what we were doing next. We talked about hobbies, specifically photography, and what we did in our little free time. We talked about the future. I talked about staying in the area. They talked about the uncertainty and deciding where to go next.

And then we talked about our worries. It doesn’t take long for medical students to talk about anxieties, stress, and worries. Between tests, assignments, evaluations, and applying for residency in the fall, there is a lot going on.

And then we talked about Step 1. I know I’ve talked about it before, but please hear me when I say that every single medical student deals with anxiety, stress, uncertainty, fear, and worry when it comes to this exam.

In the moment, I decided to be honest. Be real.

I told my colleague about my struggles with the exam. I told them about my burn out. I told them about being sick. I told them about the failed practice exams. I told them about the stress. And worry. And fear. And feeling inadequate. Feeling like a complete imposter. I told them that I went into that test ready to conquer it, but wondering if I could do it. If I would actually pass and get a score that would be enough to move forward. I used every last bit of fire left in me to pass that exam. But found myself coming up with plans B, C, D, E, and F if things turned out to be on the wrong side of the passing line (and my own line of what was acceptable).

And I passed. It worked out. Was it a happy ending? I guess it depends on your definition.

In the moment, I saw their shoulders drop just a little from their ears. I saw them relax just a little bit. A little bit of relief to hear that someone else had struggles. Someone else had worried and feared for the result and it turned out okay. And they mentioned it was good to hear about a journey that wasn’t all rainbows and perfect scores. I just kinda chuckled and realized most of us don’t have that journey. Let’s be honest, life isn’t all rainbows, pots of gold, or mountain tops. Life isn’t 100%s and 280 step scores. I’m so proud of my classmates who reached those high scores, but I’m also so so proud of my classmates who passed that exam! Who came out of there a little nervous and passed! Maybe just on the other side of that line. That is something to celebrate.

Why are we so hesitant to be real? To be honest? Why does it take so much effort and courage to talk about our actual life?

I realized a few years back that it was important for me to be open and honest with others. Our experiences can be helpful to those we cross paths with. We might not be walking on the exact same path, but we can still encounter the same obstacles. Your story could be the very thing your friends need to hear to know that they are not alone and they will make it. A simple conversation about the obstacles we face could be a turning point for those having lunch with us. It can bring hope and ease fears. Your story reminds others that they are not alone and someone else has been through this and survived.

What if we were more bold? More courageous? What if we took a leap of faith and were vulnerable? What if we could make an impact in only 20 minutes during lunch? What if we could bring some hope and light by saying “I’ve been there.”

And those conversations are amazing! To watch this person across from you realize that someone else understands. There’s a joy that comes with these conversations.

Life isn’t going to be all rainbows, pots of gold, and mountain tops. Let’s be real. Let’s meet others in the rain and in the valley. I see you. I’ve been there. Want a hand? It works out.

I Will Rise

November 29, 2020 / Aleena Brown

My mom gave me a gift this weekend while I was with her for thanksgiving. I’m pretty sure it was meant as a Christmas gift, but she got it in the mail the day after thanksgiving while I was still visiting. She handed me this small brown box and said, “when I saw these I knew you needed to hear them”.

Inside the box, I found two necklaces. They were simple gold pendants with a card behind each of them. This is what the card said.

I WILL RISE

In this hard season, she will conquer the mountain. She is steadying herself and leaning into His grace. And with each step forward she will whisper to herself, “I will rise.”

I turned the card over and found a

Bible verse that was new to me.

Ezra 10:4

Rise up. This matter is in your hands. We will support you. So take courage and do it.

A few weeks ago I wrote about depression. About finding yourself in the “dark and twisty” place. Sitting in the valley. And I told myself, and wrote to you all, that you just have to keep moving forward. But.. I forgot a step. Sometimes in those times, we may no longer be standing. Maybe we are sitting in the valley. Maybe we are lying down in those low spots.

Before we move forward, we need to rise up. (Like it’s easy or something.) I’m sure many of you know how hard that first move is. To rise up. But listen here, it says “Rise up… we will support you.” Do you see that? These things may be in your hands but we WILL support you.

And that’s what my mom wanted me to see, wanted me to hear. Rise up! We will support you. Those times can feel so lonely, but look up and look around, reach out. We will support you. I will support you.

I know thanksgiving looked different for most of us this year. I know many traditions had to be put on pause. And as we look toward Christmas, I hope we can find joy, hope, and thankfulness for what we have and the wonderful things ahead of us.

The Lows are Low

November 18, 2020 / Jacob Brown

Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. All of us have felt this at some point. Whether we get sick or have a family member pass, there will be a time when we are not happy. And that’s ok. When life is going well and we are on the ups, the downs can hit us hard.

My wife has had hard experiences during her life that have crippled her mentally, and made it hard for her to complete daily tasks. She is tough, but not invincible. Recently she made a post on social media that I think is worth sharing. The female perspective is different on these topics than mine, and that’s good. My wife feels and notices a lot more in some aspects than I do.

My wife is amazing and wrote this really well. She has been having a lower time in her life, though things are going well. Some of the frustration for her seems to come from where we are in life. There are a lot of decisions to be made and she feels like we are kind of stuck. Read the following message from her and see if you can relate.

“This is important. Pay attention.

What does depression look like to you?

I want to be honest. Like really honest. My timeline is full of happy pictures. Smiles and love. Family and friends. Next steps in my medical school journey. Memories of good times. That’s all great and life is full of wonderful moments…

But.

Life also has valleys. Times of sadness, anger, frustration, worry, and fear.
And when I find myself in those valleys, they just seem a little deeper and a little darker than others.

“Aleena, why are you sad?” … I don’t know.
“Aleena, why are you mad?” … I don’t know.
“Aleena, let’s go out” … maybe another time.
“Why aren’t you reading?” … I don’t want to.
“Why don’t you take pictures?” … I don’t have the energy.
“Let’s take a walk.” … I don’t know if I can move.

“Well if you don’t know, then why stay sad? Why stay angry? Why worry?”
…
I don’t know.

And I’m being honest. I don’t have an answer for these questions.

Please know I know that God has a plan for me. Please know that I know that there is good all around me. Please know I know it doesn’t help to focus on the negative. Please know I know it’s not productive to worry. Please know I know my God is in control. Because I know all this. It doesn’t change the fact that the valley is still deep and dark and it will take me time to climb out of it.

I’m so excited for each new rotation. I’m so excited to pick my specialty. I’m so excited to be an aunt. I’m so excited for the holidays. I’m so excited for Jacob and I’s next steps. I’m so excited for our future, my future.

I know things will get better, but right now, it’s about surviving. And surviving is enough. Surviving is good. Surviving is the first part of climbing out.

Please don’t worry or freak out. I’m ok. I am loved and taken care of. As my husband told me today, I have an army behind me ready to help and I am thankful for every single one of them.

So. If you happen to find yourself in the deep, dark valleys… I see you. I understand.

And I’m here. For the car rides. For the coffees. For the smoothies. For the silence. I’m here. And we survive together. We climb out together.

This year has been tough on all of us. Check in on each other. Realize that sometimes words can’t describe how someone is feeling. Just be there. That’s enough. And remember, valleys can’t be valleys without the mountain tops. You just have to keep moving forward ❤️

With love, Aleena”

My Learnings

I hear from my wife when she has had a bad day, week, or month that she doesn’t want to do much. It’s not easy for me to communicate with her because I tend not to get a response. I choose to make the decisions for her and nudge her to come with me to get out and avoid just sitting on the couch. I find it beneficial for her and it helps me to better understand her.

I’m still learning how to help her and handle these low points. My goal isn’t to make her happy instantly, but to make sure she knows that I am here. I try to make sure that she knows she is safe, loved, and things will get better. I have found some success in taking her out on a drive or to a park. Getting her mind off whatever she is thinking about and more into explaining and talking to me seems to help. It can be hard for her to talk, and hard for me to understand but it is beneficial for both of us.

Take time to listen. Take some mental notes and find some strategies to keep your spouse happy. Find what they need, which may not be what they want. Be patient, kind, and cautious. Use this time to learn about your spouse and do your best to be there to help them.

The “Dark and Twisty” Place

November 13, 2020 / Aleena Brown

This is Important. Pay Attention.

What does depression look like to you?

I want to be honest. Like really honest. My Facebook timeline and Instagram feed are full of happy pictures. Smiles and love. Family and friends. Next steps in my medical school journey. Memories of good times. That’s all great and life is full of wonderful moments…

But.

Life also has valleys. Times of sadness, anger, frustration, worry, and fear.

And when I find myself in those valleys, they just seem a little deeper and a little darker than others.

“Aleena, why are you sad?” … I don’t know.

“Aleena, why are you mad?” … I don’t know.

“Aleena, let’s go out” … maybe another time.

“Why aren’t you reading?” … I don’t want to.

“Why don’t you take pictures?” … I don’t have the energy.

“Let’s take a walk.” … I don’t know if I can move.

“Well if you don’t know, then why stay sad? Why stay angry? Why worry?”

…

I don’t know.

And I’m being honest. I don’t have an answer for these questions.

I know things will get better, but right now, it’s about surviving. And surviving is enough. Surviving is good. Surviving is the first part of climbing out.

Please don’t worry or freak out. I’m okay. I am loved and taken care of. As my husband told me today, I have an army behind me ready to help and I am thankful for every single one of them.

So. If you happen to find yourself in the deep, dark valleys… I see you. I understand.

And I’m here. For the car rides. For the coffees. For the smoothies. For the silence. I’m here. And we survive together. We climb out together.

Compounding Fatigue

August 26, 2020 / Jacob Brown

Being the spouse of a medical student, I have been able to be an onlooker behind the scenes of becoming a doctor. I try to pay attention and listen to my wife to gain knowledge in what she is doing, and how she is doing. It is not always easy to tell if she is doing well or not, but there are days it is obvious. Do you feel exhausted? Are you struggling to focus because you are tired? You are not alone. Lots of medical students feel this way.

She is currently in her rotation with Family Medicine, her first rotation was General Surgery and second being Orthopedic Surgery. So far, she has not been stressed as much in this specialty as she was during surgery. She has been at the hospital for a week to experience family medicine, so it may be too early to make any real conclusions. It appears to me that most of the stress she was experiencing during surgery was not so much the work, but the time. Surgery took up a lot of time in her day, and she still had to study for other work at the same time.

Her hardest days do not seem to revolve around a specific event, but is caused by a series of difficult days. Most of the hardships seem to stem from lack of sleep and rest, which has other repercussions. To further explain, it is like filling a 5 gallon bucket with 1 gallon of water each day. On a day where she gets a perfect nights sleep, 1 gallon of water would be drained from the bucket. On a bad nights sleep, there might only be 0.5 gallons of water will drain, leaving 0.5 gallons in the bucket. If this cycle continues for multiple days in a row, the bucket can fill completely and overflow. This is what I would say is a “breakdown day”, where the stress reaches a maximum and she has a hard time getting stuff done. If at this point if the cycle isn’t broken, the days of being overly stressed will continue. On the other hand, if she can get better rest, the days of overly stress can reduce and she functions better.

We have been trying to find ways to reduce her stress and help her keep going in school. Weekends need to be more oriented around things she enjoys, and time away from chaos. I’m not sure we will ever find a perfect solution, but we will keep trying to find new ways to help. Some activities that seem to help right now are taking walks (and talking), riding bikes, watching tv, and playing video games. Some other things that she enjoys doing are reading and completing coloring books.

What we have learned.

Something that we learned and I continue to remind my wife is how these hardships may feel like they will destroy her, and in the end will build her up. Though it is hard now, she will one day benefit from the hard work she is putting into this time in life. As she continues to persevere through the pain, fatigue, and emotional stress, she will become stronger. At the completion of this goal, she will become a doctor and will have many opportunities to help people. This will also fulfill one of her dreams.

It is key to have rest, as it is just as important as work time. Making sure that she rests will help her run and prevent burnout. Medical School is only 4 years, but these are hard years. There are more challenges now, than previously in the students academic career. Get a good nights sleep, eat well, and find a hobby you can do in your spare time. It will make a big difference in your productivity, and happiness.

Finding Hobbies

April 7, 2020 / Jacob Brown

Medical students spend a lot time completing classwork. My wife typically studies for 8-16 hours per day. This is dependent on what class she is taking, but the heavier class loads are more toward the 16 hour mark.

When I get home from work, she is studying.

When I get ready for bed, she is studying.

While she is studying, I have a lot of time for myself. I work a full time job from 6:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, but have every other Friday and weekends off. I usually get home around 5:30 pm, which is about 3-4 hours before she is done studying for the day. I try to fill this time that I have by myself with hobbies.

Why are hobbies so crucial to my life? If I didn’t have hobbies, what would I do? Probably just sit on the couch and stare at my phone, which is not the greatest use of my time. Hobbies are important to me because I don’t get to spend as much time with my wife since she is in school, and I am working. I am not upset with her or disappointed in her about not having as much time together, but it is different for me spending less time with her. So, hobbies are a way for me to get out of my head and into a job or task. Instead of lounging or relaxing (which is also important), I have chosen to make more use of my time.

For me, there are a couple different kinds of hobbies that I enjoy, some by myself and some with others. I tend to do a lot more hobbies by myself, but I enjoy the occasional hangout with friends.

One of the categories encompasses activities like riding bikes, running, and general exercise. There is no tangible return on the investment, but it is fun and healthy. I think that these are useful to everyone and tend to have short amounts of dedication (for short periods of time) to complete. Tasks do not usually carry over from one day to the next, but if they get interrupted, it can set certain goals back. One key feature of these types of hobbies is there are few tangible products from the effort. Most of the resulting achievements are times, physique, distances, or reps. These hobbies tend to be cheap. Some common items to purchase might be shoes, a subscription, a membership, or a bike. My wife and I try to enjoy this type of activity together when the weather is good. We spend nearly every evening during the summer riding bikes together or going for walks for 30-60 minutes.

Another category includes activities like home remodeling, knife making, automotive repair, woodworking, cooking, and construction projects. There is a task at hand, and I can gain a tangible reward for my efforts. These tasks have less impact when interrupted and can be completed in small steps. This also tends to be the best way to do them. A downside to these types of hobbies is they tend to be more expensive than the other category. Buying items like tools and supplies can cost quite a bit, but the reward is greater for me. There are ways that these types of hobbies can save money as well. I have made a few different items around my house instead of buying them, which has been cheaper and more fun than just purchasing at a store.

There are activities that merge both of these types. A good example for me is fishing from a kayak. I enjoy fishing, and being in a kayak makes the event exercise. I am able to have the leisure of being out on a river or lake and catch fish (which has a material reward). This activity requires a 1 time payment, then it does not cost hardly anything (usually just fuel to get to the water). My wife usually just paddles around while I am fishing out in the summer sun, reading her book every now and then.

I know that these sound pretty simple to accomplish, but a key component is self motivation. I regularly have to motivate myself (with the help from my wife) to get up and work on projects. As humans, we tend to take the easiest route, and it’s easy to be lazy and watch tv or play on my phone. It’s hard to get up and go, but being active is important. Set goals in your hobbies and chase them.

Useful tips for the reader.

Put together a list of interests. I like to find about how much it will cost as well. That way I can weigh the cost against my interest. Some things could be long running hobbies, but cost a lot.
Rank the hobbies. Find what interests you and something that has a return that you seek. If you don’t find something that you are really interested in, it will be hard to continue over the long run.
Find activities you can do together, and alone. I like to have a few hobbies for myself, and a few that I can do with my wife. This way, we can spend time together.

“Let me see if I have time.”

March 15, 2020 / Jacob Brown

This is one of the most common phrases that I have heard from med students. Talking with my wife’s classmates, I hear this in nearly every conversation. The main focus for medical students is studying, and time is the biggest constraint. School is their full time job, and they are expected (by the school) to not only succeed, but excel. Medical school is extremely fast paced and time consuming, which makes breaks very precious.

A lot of my wife’s classmates take breaks very seriously. By seriously I mean when they get any opportunity, they travel. They tend to take large trips, depending on the allotted time. These can be fairly expensive trips, especially when they travel to Europe, South America, and Florida on student loans. In my opinion, it is more important to find a hobby and do small trips regularly. Taking large extravagant trips is fun, but the relaxation and enjoyment needs to be distributed. It is good to be able to spread out the relaxation, and not be looking forward to trips just once every 8-10 weeks.

My wife tries to do something fun or relaxing every day, and I think it makes a difference in her mental health. I can usually tell when she needs to take a break. During summer we try to ride bikes daily for 30-60 minutes. It’s not quite as fun when its 95 degrees outside, but it serves its purpose as exercise and time together. This is time where she can talk to me about school or we can talk about anything outside of school. Usually we ride in Metro Parks because we like the nature scenery. We are from rural Indiana, so it makes us feel a little bit closer to home.

Something else that we do that would be considered a “break” is going to the store together. She takes a little time out of her schedule so that we can go to the store and buy groceries. This is also very helpful to me because she gets what she wants to eat, and I don’t have to guess. I try to keep the fridge stocked with food that is easy for her to prepare because she doesn’t have a lot of downtime while she is studying.

My wife has made the goal to be done with school work at about 9 pm every night. Occasionally she is working at 10 pm, but that is uncommon. Having a set end time allows her to spend about 1 hour of her night doing whatever she wants. Her time is a lot tighter now than it was earlier in medical school. She is currently in Dedicated, the window of time set aside specifically for medical students to study for Step 1. This is a very important exam that causes a lot of stress as it is the exam that dictates their entire career (I will talk more on this in another post).

Some final thoughts for the reader:

Find something that you can do daily. If you can find a hobby or relaxing activity you can do daily, you will feel better than trying to hold the stress waiting until your next big break.

Set a schedule, and stick to it. This will make a huge difference in how much time you have to spend with others. Make time for things you love outside of medicine.

Take day trips when possible. Try not to just take trips or do something fun when you have a long break. Breaks between classes or weekends offer a good opportunity for relaxation. This makes it possible to do it more often, and can keep your stress level lower.