How San Francisco Helped Me Breathe Again

Happy new year and welcome back to me! (SN: Welcome To Me is a fairly intriguing dramedy starring Kristen Wiig, on Netflix, check it out). Maybe needless to say, medical school got extremely overwhelming for me towards the end of last semester. Don't get me wrong, I expect medical education to be challenging and rigorous. It's a profession that comes with great responsibility. The sense of overwhelm, however, came from imbalance. Not prioritizing sleep on most days, not working out in a fulfilling way, not blogging - all of these things added to my own personal imbalance. Ruminating over the past and fretting over the future did not help equilibriate, neither.

Thus, so far this year, I have tried to find what my own personal balance looks like for me. How do I best rest? Best relax? Best study? All of these aspects of life are best when they are tailor-made for who we are at the moment. At the moment, I am a medical student processing a heavy load of content, therefore, time is of essence. I need to understand that taking as long as I need to study and sleep might mean a shorter workout regimen. At least for now. The point is to ensure that however you plan out those important aspects of life, make it work for you at the moment - continuously. As I'm sure I've said before in blog posts, we are ever-evolving, after all.

What boarding a 4-hr flight at 7 pm
after being up since 5 am looks like

So, let's get to the title - San Francisco. Another aspect of life that got out of balance was my social activity. Something about school amping up caused me to become quite reclusive. Which is understandable, but nevertheless, out of balance. So, as a way to ensure this stays in the mix, I agreed to go on a spur-of-the-moment-decision trip to San Francisco at the end of our 2nd exam of the semester. The round trip was only $100! That's a YOLO-worthy ticket price.

The trip was definitely final purge for me to understand that keeping life in balance - in body, mind and soul - is absolutely essential. The trip taught me exactly what I expected it to. Life is too short to sacrifice your ideas of your own health and happiness for the sake of some ideal from outside sources. The kicker is, this outside source that I speak of isn't friends or family but that nagging alter ego in your head, the prime suspect. The one that is constantly telling you should do this or that. I'm glad that taking the trip challenged this alter ego that might have said you should stay and study over the weekend. I'm also glad that it taught me so many other lessons that I can't wait to spread out over more blog posts to come. 

Hmm I forget what they call
the bridge...
Yes, that was an attempt
at a joke. I think you laughed.

Obligatory Tourist-y Photos

On a cable car! 

On the curviest road, Lombard Street

In closing, today, I just want to re-iterate one thing: find out what works best for you in maintaining balance in your own life. If that changes, that's okay! Be flexible with your own growth and needs of the moment. And stay forever in peace and balance. Until next time!  

Finding a Better Way to Hit the Reset Button

Well, I haven't blogged in weeks, and I'm guessing you know why. Med school has completely taken over. Which, is not a bad thing by any means, but I am still a huge proponent of balance. I guess I've just been balancing in other ways. Like I went one full work-week working out every morning. It was great! But, then I kind of stopped that streak...but then I made A LOT of healthy meals the following week, so there's that. In the midst of all the attempts of maintaining balance outside of med school, I've also been trying to figure out how I best study in this environment. And, I think that I have figured it out. It took me hitting my own personal reset button.

Pretty sunrises - perks to waking up early to work out 

There was a day about two weeks ago, when out of the blue, I just got so unbelievably overwhelmed with everything. Nothing in particular happened, but it felt like being encapsulated by a wave of emotion. Now, if you read my blog, these moments are not really new to me haha But, the thing is, I always glean new insight from them. That's what I want to share with you today.

On that day, I took a moment to reset. I was not tired, I had been sleeping pretty consistently (see this blog post, I learned my lesson). So, I didn't take a nap. I literally just sat. And, I breathed. I didn't make a plan or a to-do list or go for a run. I did nothing. For about 15-20 minutes. I just sat. Okay, granted, I sat in the jacuzzi in my apartment complex - but nothing more! No talking, no thinking, just breathing. I highly recommend taking some time to simply stop.

If this is a concept I got from some show like Grey's Anatomy, I apologize that it's not original, but it's the best analogy I can think of right now. It's like when you're on a high-speed train. You can't simply jump off the track. It's going, and you are on it, you are going. And, sometimes amidst the hustle and bustle of the fast-moving train, you might forget to catch your breath. The good news is, the solution is simple. Just breathe. Just breathe.

I know, I know, this is TOTAL Grey's Anatomy territory, I am not doing this on purpose just because I am in medical school, now. Grey's Anatomy premiered and soared when I was in high school, so I practically grew up with the show, along with a handful of others, even when I didn't watch a season all the way through. I am a product of my generation, so sue me. But, I cannot think of any better song to reiterate this point than Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2 AM)". And, that's why it's today's pick. It's a fairly melancholy song with a somber theme, BUT it conveys a solid point with my favorite line.

Anna Nalick's " Breathe (2 AM)"

Favorite Lines

"There's a light at the end of this tunnel...

You're just as far in, as you'll ever be out

***

Breathe, just breathe"

For me, these lines in particular encourage trudging forward in spite of a rough patch. Maybe you get hit by a wave of overwhelming emotion. Breathe, move forward. Maybe you get hit by a disappoint. Breathe, keep walking through. Actually, let's do it right now. Stop reading. Take a deep breath. In and out. 

Okay, start reading again. You can always begin again. Start fresh, start anew. Just take a minute to reset, and, really, just give yourself a break every now and then. Until next time, (**cough, cough** after the test **cough, cough**), my friends!