The second week definitely got to me

The second week of med school has passed. That's crazy... Second week.. It already feels like it's been two months. In two weeks, I've already dissected the entire upper limb of the human body, participated in my first health screen, and stressed out more times than I probably had to. On the one hand, I'm pretty excited about all the material I'm learning (probably because I have bare minimum background needed to get into med school). On the other hand, I wish the school would give me a couple more days just to process all the information before they start cramming in new materials. Whoever described med school as a water hose being blasted in your face couldn't be more correct.

Anyways, I think part of the anxiety of med school is that you're always subconsciously comparing yourself to the people around you. I try to keep myself  from asking people what they're studying since I feel like that will always leave me feeling inadequate or behind. But honestly, it's hard to escape it. Whether it's overhearing some lab mates talk in the dissection room or walking by people as I'm leaving the library, I feel like I'm always subconsciously checking to see what my peers are studying and asking myself if I should study more.

I think because of this my personal life kind of took a nose dive this week. I felt like the need to constantly study got to me and it caused me to stress out like crazy. Whenever I got home, I would try to cram as much material in my head before going to bed. This included studying during dinner when I could have been catching up with my parents and studying when I talked to my girlfriend at night (she wasn't too fond of that lol). The reality is though, I need separation from med school. If I let it consume my every thought and moment, then it's only going burn me out. When I let myself pursue my other passions like running or ultimate frisbee, I can free my mind from freaking out about anatomy and histology and just enjoy the present moment.

So I guess that's my challenge to myself this week - focus on balance. Study when I need to study and relax when I need to relax. It's a difficult line to walk but I'm definitely going to give it my best shot. I'll let you guys know how I do next week.

Thanks for checking in and see you all later!

Andrew