Exam season has a special way of making life feel like one giant race. Suddenly, your calendar is packed, your to-do list is never-ending, and “I’ll just study for a little bit” somehow turns into four hours in the library. As pre-meds, it can feel like there is always something else to do, apply for, learn, or prepare for.
So maybe, during the busiest time of the semester, we should try doing something a little slower.
A slow morning does not have to mean waking up at 5 a.m. to meditate, journal for an hour, make homemade sourdough, and somehow still have time to read 30 pages of your textbook. Please be serious.
It can be much simpler.
Start With Something You Actually Enjoy
Before opening Canvas and discovering three new assignments, give yourself something that makes you happy. Make your favorite tea, coffee, matcha, or whatever fun drink has become your current personality. Put it in the mug you always reach for. Sit down for a few minutes and actually drink it instead of carrying it around while rushing to class.
It sounds small, but that is kind of the point. Exam season is full of things you have to do. A slow morning can have a few things you simply want to do.
Move a Little
If you spend most of your day sitting in lectures, studying, and staring at a laptop, your body may appreciate a little attention too.
Try a short yoga flow, stretch while you listen to music, take a quick walk, or even just spend five minutes stretching before getting ready. It does not need to become a workout or another item to check off your productivity list. Sometimes you just need to move around before spending the next six hours sitting in the same library chair.
Give Your Brain a Softer Start
One of my favorite parts of a slow morning is doing something completely unrelated to school.
Listen to a podcast while you get ready. Put on a playlist that makes you feel good. Read a few pages of a book. Journal about what is on your mind. Write down what you are looking forward to that day. Or sit by a window and do absolutely nothing for a few minutes.
You do not have to turn every quiet moment into a self-improvement opportunity.
Sometimes, quiet is enough.
Let Yourself Have a Morning
When you are pre-med, it can be really easy to make every hour into something productive. You could be studying. You could be volunteering. You could be researching. You could be getting ahead.
But you are also a person who needs mornings that feel like mornings.
Taking 20 or 30 minutes for yourself will not make you less ambitious. If anything, it can make the rest of your day feel a little more manageable. There will still be exams to study for and deadlines to meet when you are done.
So make the tea. Stretch for ten minutes. Listen to your favorite podcast. Put on an outfit you love. Journal about absolutely nothing. Take the long way to class.
Let your morning be a small part of the day that belongs entirely to you.
Because sometimes, when everything around you is moving as fast as possible, slowing down for a moment is exactly what you need before you start running again.