🩺 Scrub In: The Motivated Med Life

Sunday mornings are an interesting time for me right now. Before I started studying for Step 1, I used to sleep in on weekends and wake up feeling groggy, rushing to throw on my Sunday best for church. But now that Step 1 prep has me waking up regularly before 6 a.m., I find myself unsure of what to do with all the extra time before 9 a.m.

I can already hear the comments: “Wow, what a terrible problem to have, extra time!” or “Why don’t you just go back to sleep?”

My response? I’ve tried. I can’t.

I’m also trying to treat Sundays as a rest day, but here’s the funny part: I don’t actually know how to rest well.

As a student, and especially as a medical student, my life has been one continuous loop of deadlines, exams, papers, and projects. There are no true “off” days. Ironically, we’re taught to tell our future patients that rest is essential: nightly sleep, daily breaks, weekly recovery, and even yearly time off. Yet most of us in medicine don’t take our own advice.

And sadly, this disconnect starts long before we become physicians. It begins in medical school, or even earlier, in undergrad.

As Queen Charlotte says in Bridgerton, “Sorrows…”

So here I am, on a Sunday morning, writing a blog post instead of doing breathing exercises or, at the very least, zoning out on the couch while I wait for it to be time to leave for church. And yes, I see the irony. I know I need rest, but I struggle to give myself permission to actually rest.

I’m trying.

I was tempted this morning to knock out a UWorld set. Just 40 questions. But that wouldn’t be rest. That would be more work, disguised as productivity.

To everyone out there struggling to rest on the Lord’s literal day of rest: I see you. I’m with you.

Maybe we should form a group of fellow restless strugglers and call ourselves “The Resters.” I don’t know. I’m just spitballing here.

I really should zone out now. But until then…