The stigmas surrounding the pre-med track can sometimes be intimidating, and to a freshman just starting college, it can feel like you have to beat all of those standards. I felt this same way, as I was trying to grapple with entering a new environment and dealing with all the pressures that come with following the path to medical school. However, I realized that balance was important and that to be successful in my path, I needed to take time here and there to take care and check in with myself. I wanted a way to help me reduce the possibility of burning out, so I tried my best to spend time with my friends, and do the things I wanted to do. I would study throughout the week and on weekends, I would either do something fun the night or take half a day and hang out with friends. This balance was definitely dependent on the week and how much I had to go on, but I always tried to at least take a couple of hours to do something fun before getting back to school.
The work-life balance is not something that is continuous or looks exactly the same every time. Some weeks are much busier than others and that causes our priorities to shift, and that is okay. As long as you take care of yourself and acknowledge that sometimes you just need a break, you are doing okay. The key is to find a happy medium. The catch is that everybody’s happy medium is different, so when I looked at my ideal work-life balance, I wanted to save one day or night to take a break and recharge each week. The rest of the days I would study and work on my courses and extracurriculars, taking short breaks when I needed them. On a particularly busy week, I would try and do more low-key and chill activities, like watching a show, hanging out with a friend, or taking a quick trip to the campus greenhouse just to recharge. Work-life balance does not need to be hours of rigorous work and then going out to a party. It can be staying in after doing some light studying and having a board game night, watching a movie, or having a self-care day because those things are just as important. It is tough to have this kind of balance as a pre-med student, especially in your first or second year. There can be a lot going on, but sometimes taking a break is essential to do better later on.
It is so important to remember to live your life while being on the pre-med track. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in work, extracurriculars, and all your other commitments, but I always liked to think that my work-life balance was what made me feel like I was in a good mental headspace and made me feel that I was doing what made me happy while doing well in school. Work-life balance as a pre-med student is not a myth, as long as you gauge it based on your own personal mental health and well-being.
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