Holidays are often the only official time off from classes or rotation for many medical students. Many return home for the first time in months and finally get quality time with friends and family. Days are spent with loved ones, full of festivities and family traditions. At the same time, students can feel pressure or guilt for stepping away from medical schoolwork. Financial stress can set in. Upcoming in-house exams, looming boards, residency research, audition applications, Anki cards, and unanswered practice questions stack up in the back of our minds. Have I stressed you out yet? I know my heart started racing just writing that sentence. As my third holiday season as a medical student comes into view, I reflect on ways I have managed these feelings. I would like to share five ways I have learned to manage stress and expectations during the holiday season.
Compartmentalizing
Compartmentalizing is a valuable technique for managing stress. You may have heard about this as a defense mechanism in a psychology course. Essentially, keeping certain thoughts or emotions separate from others helps us to manage stress and anxiety. When a stressful thought about school crosses your mind at the Thanksgiving dinner table, you can place it in a mental box and shelve it, saving it for later.
Set and Communicate Boundaries with Your Family and Yourself
It is helpful to decide ahead of time which days over the holiday break I am going to keep my laptop shut. Then I plan my study schedule appropriately. With the time off accounted for, when my "day off" rolls around, I make sure to stick to the promise I made to myself. This helps me to be more present.
It can be very difficult to understand what it is like to be in medical school from the outside. Communicate your needs for time to study with your loved ones. Tell them which days you are planning to take fully off from studying and make plans with them on those days.
Set Priorities
I find creating lists of “must get done today” and “could get done today” is really helpful. This helps me to know what to tackle first. I have learned to be okay with leaving things on the “could get done today” list.
Accept Imperfection
We might not have the most elaborate Christmas gifts or homemade side dishes to share with our family. Holidays may be celebrated on a different date or without every tradition during medical training. It is important to accept the imperfections and focus on the joy that is available during this time.
Schedule a Few Flex Days
Booking a return flight with a day or two before starting back to classes or rotations has been a game changer for me. It allows time to get my fridge restocked, complete assignments, and settle back into my routine.
