by Yuna Minosky.
How do you keep yourself motivated during medical school during tough times? What advice would you give to an entering 1st-year podiatry student?
Health, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental, is something medical students such as myself take for granted often until it is too late. Medical school is all about balance – one has to balance studying, their social life, and most importantly, their personal wellbeing. You cannot support your patients in the long run if you are too tired, stressed, or sick to learn the material that you are presented within school.
You cannot support your patients in the long run if you are too tired, stressed, or sick…
In order to fully incorporate all one has learned, one has to be able to recognize when to take breaks in order to recharge so that one can be productive again. Pick a show that you like to watch and tell yourself that you’ll get through the episode at the end of the night or read a book before bed. If one feels guilty about taking breaks, make the breaks productive like going to the gym and work on flashcards while on a stationary bike, or run errands such as buying groceries. Don’t be afraid to do things that you genuinely enjoy. Personally, I loved going to the movies with my friends. We would agree to study for a certain amount of time before we used our break to watch a movie.
“Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.”
While it can get pretty easy to lose motivation, a quote I always used when I felt unmotivated is, “Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.” This quote helped me feel accountable, especially in times of extreme stress. Most people inevitably hit a bump on their journey during medical school and the way they recover is what defines them. There are so many opportunities for personal growth in one way or another and those opportunities should not be wasted.
In the end, being flexible enough to adapt to a variety of situations is key for both survival and success. One will be expected to work under different types of situations, different personalities, and different types of stressors. How you adapt to all of these factors—or at least, learn to adapt—provides you with skills that you can take forward and apply to different aspects of your life.
by Yuna Minosky
School: Kent Univesity School of Podiatric Medicine
Advise to 1st years: Staying Motivated
Student, Lifestyle
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