Wellness Pt 1

I've decided to move my wellness journal into Blogger so that I don't have to see it in gmail anymore.
The wellness journal is a part of med school's idea to find 3 things that we did well each day and to explain why.
The supposed purpose of the journal is to prevent burnout... I think? It was not explained too clearly during our longitudinal group sessions.

01.14.13

1.) Finished all of Monday's lectures on time

  Not falling behind on material

2.) Ate healthy today (salmon, cereal, milk)

  Good for my health, lose fat, get essential nutrients

3.) Responded to most urgent emails

  More prompt w/ my responses

01.15.13

1.) Got a haircut

  To look professional for LP

2.) Took care of grocery shopping for healthy foods

  To start trying the paleolithic diet & see if I feel better from it

3.) Random act of kindness: buy quinoa for friend

  Important to let people know you listen to them

01.16.13

1.) Finished errands related to EC activities (signatures, letters)

  Able to send out official letters to invite people to the retreat

2.) Scheduled meeting for summer EC program

  Wanted to do an activity outside of studying that was meaningful

3.) Ate a sweet potato

  For health benefits

01.17.13

1.) Prepared well for my FOSCE

  Usually anxious or blunder them before/during/after the fact

2.) Ate less heavy food today

  Could sleep much better, not feel as bad

3.) Prepared notes to fill in for next day's lectures, actually finished 4 of 5 lectures today, even though started around 7 PM

  Know that I can be extremely productive/effective w/ my time

01.18.13

1.) Finished all lectures/e-modules for the week

  I am usually behind on reading material

2.) Drank 3 L of H2O for the day

  I usually never drink the recommended amount of fluids

3.) Ate healthy snacks in the afternoon (carrots w/ hummus)

  Better for my health & GI tract to not eat junk food anymore

01.19.13

1.) Accidentally ate dog food today, which brought amusement to friends

  I did not know that it was meant for dogs

2.) Hiked 6 miles at Hocking Hills w/ friends

  Have not exercised in a while

3.) Cleaned dishes, did laundry

  Took care of cleaning the house after letting things sit for so long

01.20.13

1.) Purchased home gym equipment to start body weight exercises

  A start to adding exercise into my day while the weather is still bad

2.) Shopped at the grocery store for healthy food options

  Continuing the practice of eating well

3.) Studied on a Sunday

  Making my weekends more productive with regards to school work

01.21.13

1.) Finally put on that faucet cover my mom gave me over break

  To prevent the pipe from freezing, bursting, and damaging the house

2.) Packed lunch for tomorrow before going to bed

  So I can wake up later in the morning without having to prepare food

3.) Did some leisure reading before bedtime

  Better to do other activities than always concentrate on med school

01.22.13

1.) Woke up earlier than usual

  Helps me transition into becoming an early bird

2.) Ate breakfast before going to school

  Usually never eat breakfast, even though it kickstarts my metabolism

3.) Ate healthy snacks and lunch all day

  Slowly weaning myself off fast/junk food

01.23.13

1.) Got a lot of studying done during the day

  I tend to procrastinate or have trouble focusing

2.) Prepared a healthy dinner, ate a sweet potato for dessert

  Finding more options of healthy meals to eat so that I don't get bored

3.) Read some leisure books about body weight exercises

  Helps me figure out what beginner regimen to start doing for exercise

01.24.13

1.) Attended a seminar about being a future physician scientist

  Reminds me of possibilities in the future & how to plan for it

2.) Studied productively in a new location besides home

  Changing locations helps reinvigorate the studying mood

3.) Slept more than a few hours the night before the quiz

  I usually do not sleep much before a major exam, but healthier to

01.25.13

1.) I did better on my quiz than in the past

  Boost in confidence, reminder that my current studying method works

2.) Ate a healthy dinner, studied material on the same day after a quiz

  I usually take the day off after a quiz, but I wanted to stay on track

3.) I spent time with friends over lunch at a new restaurant

  Part of my list to try out all the restaurants in Columbus

01.26.13

1.) Slept over 9 hours

  Good for the body/mind to catch up on sleep, to not burn out

2.) Drank at least 12 cups of H2O throughout the day

  Got my adequate fluid intake for the day

3.) Ate salmon for dinner, prepared grocery list for shopping tomorrow

  Being more prepared for the day as well as the day after

01.27.13

1.) Shopped for groceries, healthy options like tuna, chicken

  Persisting with the healthy diet

2.) Studied 5 of 9 modules overdue from last 2 weeks

  Catching up even though I have fallen behind

3.) Did handstand pushups for exercise

  Starting doing the gymnastics exercises from my book

01.28.13

1.) Did 3 handstand pushups, worked on parallel bars

  Increasing the amount of exercise for the day

2.) Finished assignments for Monday

  Task completions are fulfilling

3.) Took out the recycling bin before the morning of pickup

  Pre-empted the bin becoming too full

01.29.13

1.) Slept for 8 hours

  Feeling well-rested after sleeping more than 6 hours

2.) Took the initiative to organize place, topic, time for next LC dinner

  Becoming a more proactive individual

3.) Upgraded to 3 handstand & parallettes, 6 seconds for each hold

  Either becoming stronger, or wanting to exercise more each day

01.30.13

1.) Sent out an email to organize the next learning community dinner

  Following through with my promises

2.) Planned out travel, lodging, food for spring break trip

  Planning for the future way in advance rather than living in moment

3.) Finished notes for lectures this week; can catch up on past lectures

  Turned this day into a productive one

01.31.13

1.) Attended an interest group meeting after a long time

  Got my mind onto something outside of medical school curriculum

2.) Took a break from healthy eating to eat a son of baconator burger

  Acknowledged that moderation is still okay

3.) Exercised: 3 handstand pushups 10s, 3 parallettes 10s, varied

  Keeping consistent with an exercise regimen

02.01.13

1.) Was able to shadow another preceptor (vitals/empanel/ROS/exam)

  Learned more about different endocrine disorders

2.) Ate a healthy dinner (chicken salad w/o mayo, pasta & tomato)

  Back on track to eating well

3.) Went to bed early (midnight)

  Tried to set earlier bedtime (early to rise) for a more productive day

02.02.13

1.) Slept 10 hours

  Extremely well-rested, not feeling as tired throughout the day

2.) Started preparing material for Step 1, read ~ 50 pages

  Initiated my study schedule for Step 1 outside of class material

3.) Exercised more: 5 handstands, 5 holds on pbars (10s per hold)

  Keeping to my exercise schedule, feeling a little fitter

02.03.13

1.) Slept 10 hours

  Resting well at night; trying to figure out ways to fall asleep faster

2.) Did laundry so do not have to the weekend before midterm

  Predicting time needed to study & taking care of errands in advance

3.) Went grocery shopping

  Helped to prepare house with food in advance to focus on studies

02.04.13

1.) Slept 8 hours, redesigned study schedule to cater to healthy habits

  Helped focus work at home to cater to diet & exercise

2.) Added spinach to the tomato sauce in my pasta to make it healthier

  Felt that I was lacking enough vegetables in my diet

3.) I socialized w/ my neighbor about shoes and cervical laminectomy

  Becoming familiar with neighbors & my neighborhood

02.05.13

1.) I started studying lectures on top of anatomy for the midterm

  Usually study them separately, which made the material confusing

2.) I ate a healthy lunch and dinner w/ sweet potato for dessert

  Healthy diets make for healthy minds

3.) Added pushups, situps, and stretching before my exercise regimen

  Wanted to increase flexibility along with strength

02.06.13

1.) Volunteered to pick up the van for driving around interviewees

  Becoming a proactive individual, dependable when in need

2.) E-mailed faculty member for summer rotation, set up appointment

  Planning future in advance, securing a position in the lab

3.) Purchased toys & pellets/hay to prepare for foster rabbit's arrival

  Found a new calling/volunteer activity

02.07.13

1.) Woke up early, started studying material before noon, ate breakfast

  Starting work earlier in the day helps to finish work earlier as well

2.) Attended dinner to meet w/ interviewees

  Being a proactive member of the medical school

3.) Got some studying in after dinner even though full & tired

  Tend to just have a relaxing night after draining conversations

02.08.13

1.) Had an engaging meeting w/ a potential summer rotation PI

  Interests coincided w/ his lab, & hoped I would get along w/ the lab

2.) Walked a long distance to pick up the rental van for interviewees

  Added some cardio exercise to my day

3.) Spent dinner talking to interviewees, getting to know a few

  Socialized w/ people even though I am an introvert

02.09.13

1.) Had breakfast w/ the interviewees, drove 5 back to the hotel

  Started my day early, so that I could get to work early

2.) Exercised more, doing bodyweight exercises

  Continuing my exercise plan, sticking to a routine

3.) Slept early

  Wanting to wake up earlier so that I can start work earlier in the day

02.10.13

1.) Finished studying most neuro material regarding vestibulocochlear

  Catching up on material even though fell behind during the week

2.) Kept in touch w/ an old friend from college by texting

  Good to maintain a close group of friends throughout life

3.) Slept a few hours before the midterm even though I wanted to study

  Sleeping always helps me perform better even though i don't think it

02.11.13

1.) Studied as much as possible for the midterm

  Felt that even though I did not study everything, I studied effectively

2.) Ate a healthy dinner, & then washed all dishes in the sink

  Took care of errands around the house

3.) Performed body-weight exercises (handstands, pbars, cartwheels)

  Resumed exercise after a few days off studying for midterm

02.12.13

1.) Got my team together to write up the final draft of the CHE paper

  Had a task that needed to be finished; was proactive about it

2.) Worked on ideas for organizing the joint retreat this summer

  Even though months away, good to prepare to plan for the worst

3.) Went to bed by 11 PM

  Sleeping earlier and earlier each night, though falling asleep difficult

02.13.13

1.) Slept for 8 hours

  Discovering that some time around 8 hours is ideal for me

2.) Polished the final version of group's CHE draft before submission

  Wanted to turn in a quality piece of work since paper is for a grade

3.) Accepted a Vday dinner date at Whitecastle Burger?!

  I tend to shun holidays- maybe spending it w/ someone would be fun

02.14.13

1.) Ate a healthy breakfast & lunch to make up for dinner

  Wanted to offset the heavy meal I would encounter later in the day

2.) Caught up on most material for this week

  Keeping myself to some studying each day to stay on track

3.) Spent VDay @ Whitecastle w/ somebody else's gf

  Break from healthy food to indulge in chicken rings

02.15.13

1.) Started working on the mental health fellowship

  Troubleshoot any initial issues with continuing the fellowship

2.) Was able to take a Hx and give an oral presentation at LP

  Practiced basic skills of patient interviewing

3.) Did some body-weight exercises after 2 nights of fast food

  Helped me feel better after eating such unhealthy food

02.16.13

1.) Did laundry; ate Irish steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast

  Usually eat cereals, which are healthy but still high in sugar

2.) Sent out e-mails for summer rotation; replied to MD candidate

  Taking care of business

3.) Met w/ friend to find a bike, try an ethnic place, watch movie

  Doing fun things on a Saturday (atypical of me)

02.17.13

1.) E-mailed prof to finalize summer rotation; set up LC dinner

  Following through on commitments

2.) Ate oatmeal w/ honey in the morning

  Eating a healthier alternative for breakfast

3.) Bought art supplies to use for contest

  Keeping with my intentions to do something, following through

02.18.13

1.) Ate breakfast this morning, ate lunch in under 30"

  Keeping consistent w/ morning meal, eating efficiently, saving time

2.) Brought chocolate to LG for classmates

  Feed everybody during the afternoon, get rid of sugar from my house

3.) Submitted my application to Medicine & the Arts

  Ensuring my commitment to finish an art project by a deadline

02.19.13

1.) Vacuumed the house, cleaned the bathroom for rabbit's arrival

  The house has not been cleaned since my parents' visit

2.) Ate cereal for breakfast

  Bought shredded wheat, a healthier option to eat

3.) Sent an email to a PI for my summer research rotation

  Offered plans to get ahead, arranged to follow up on later meetings