Set Rules and Don't Give Up

Danny and I met Beau and Brittany at our church. We quickly bonded over the stress of pending med school applications and swapping information about DO programs. For a while there is looked like we might end up at the same school (which was soooo exciting) but then Danny broke his leg and Beau took an offer from Reno. We went on double dates where the boys talked sports and the wives talked about me school, stress and our over-intensity during the process. Friends like Beau and Brit and friends for life. We miss them like crazy! Anyway, here is Brittany's advice for the med school journey:

When Michelle invited me to write a guest post I really didn’t know what I would write about. But I will say that when she asked, a whirlwind of emotions was swirling all around me. Three words can wrap it up. Life. Is. Hard. But I’ve learned that in order to get through it, you need to set some RULES. Here are three that came to mind. (Note: there are multiple RULES. My advice: start a list and add as you go.)

Rule number one: MAKE TIME. Immediately after moving I started a new job in a critical care unit as an RN. This unit is has wide assortment of critical cardiac patients, cancer patients, and numerous other diagnoses. It is stressful, fast pace environment and very time consuming. I work night shifts and so at times I will go 3-4 days without seeing Beau. His days (away from home) are 7am-10pm, my days are 6pm-8/9am. In the beginning it was difficult, but we have found it is important to set aside time for each other. Yep, create time for each other. You might feel like you literally have to stop the clock and create it out of thin air, but do it non-the-less. It might only be once a week. Whatever your scenario is; create it, and enjoy it. 

Rule number two: A healthy break can make you or break you. Make sure to set parameters, time limits, anything to keep you on the right road because it is easy to get distracted. Beau has enlightened me that you physically cannot go 12+ hrs straight studying AND be productive. So he stays focused better when he sets aside time to exercise. His school has a gym and he takes 30 minutes a day to run, weight lift, and/or stretch. He typically does this when he feels he is getting tired and not absorbing the material. A quick workout session can rejuvenate your mind and body to give you an energy spurt for the afternoon or evening of studying ahead. This can also go the other way, if you are at home missing your hubby a good jog/walk can boost your mood and metabolism;).  

Rule number three: Keep your priorities straight. Don’t let the demands of Medical School cloud the vision of what really matters. As long as you remember why you started this journey, and what’s most important, you will do just fine. Put you trust in God and his plan for you. It’s easy to judge and feel judged when you are in a constant competition for high scores and good grades, so try to keep an optimistic perspective in mind. You’ve made it this far, you can keep moving forward. For us it’s putting our Heavenly Father and family first. We know if we do this everything else will fall into place.

So, chin up! All will work out! If you would like a nice song that kind of correlates Listen to this: