Ever since I was little, I have always been writing short stories, poems, prose — you name it, I have written it. Writing has served as a creative outlet for me, regardless of how old I was, and a chance for me to dive into some fantasy fiction world where I could do whatever, say whatever and be whoever I wanted. However, when it was time for me to start thinking about the type of occupation I wanted to go into in the future, I was inexplicably drawn towards medicine. My academic interests rivaled my hobbies: one being scientifically precise, while the other consisted of, well, the complete opposite.
When I came to SLU, I was dropped headfirst into the hard sciences: chemistry, biology and the like. It demanded a lot of time, attention and, honestly, really stressed me out as I tried to keep up with the fast-paced timeline that being pre-med demands. In a time that was filled with anxiety-inducing chaos, I knew I still had to make time for my hobbies to keep my sanity and stay afloat. As classes became more challenging and schedules became busier, the time left on my calendar for hobbies dwindled. I often forgot to schedule some free time for myself as I got caught up in my never-ending to-do list.
I realized that an effective way of building my beloved hobby of creative writing into my schedule was to turn it into something I had to do, so why not add a creative writing minor?
As soon as I added the minor, I was registered for creative writing classes almost every semester. It felt pretty weird, though, having organic chemistry at 1 p.m., then immediately running across campus for my creative writing class. My mind needed to switch gears almost instantly, leaving chemical compounds and electrons behind to delve into the world of short story writing. However, instead of this mandatory switch stressing me out, it actually helped me feel more relieved.
In these writing classes, I did not feel the need to constantly compete with myself and my classmates to understand challenging chemistry and biology content. I was simply able to come together with others who loved writing and write about whatever I wanted. Though I love the academic rigor that comes with being a pre-med student, I really appreciate the mini breaks I have with my writing classes three times each week. These creative breaks not only allow me to destress but also help me perform better in my science classes, because I am no longer burned out all the time.
The decision to integrate writing into my area of study throughout undergrad was one of the best choices that I could have made. Writing will always be important to me; in fact, as I work on my senior capstone project in creative writing now, it has allowed me to reflect deeply on the importance of a true work-life balance. After all, hobbies are more than just ways to relieve stress; they are things we pour our time and effort into, not because we have to, but because we choose to.