So You Have a L’il Vacation Time? Here’s What to Do With It- Medical Student Edition

Vacation time. Aaaahhhhhh. As a fourth year medical student, nothing makes me happier than hearing those words. Vacation. Time. Both things that come in limited supply when you’re a med student. As I sit here at my computer, I think about the course of the past year and how far I’ve come as a student-doctor. I completed my third year rotations, a hodgepodge of clinical rotations, evaluations, and shelf-exams (blog coming soon about surviving your third year of medical school). I survived Step 1 (though admittedly, my ability to sit for a prolonged period of time while reading words from a book has forever vanished). I conquered the fourth year sub-internship in medicine. I’ve watched myself grow from a fledgling, a frightened newbie, who at times was even afraid to touch patients, to a competent medical team member operating efficiently at the level of an intern *gives self reassuring pat on the back.*

Every once in awhile, HMS decides to bless its students with a break. An opportunity to get away from the daily grind of studies, clinical responsibilities, and formal assessments. The week following my sub-internship in medicine marked the beginning of a week of summer break. An entire week of nothing! Glorious!  But how do you use those periods of free-time in medical school to your advantage? How do you prevent yourself from defaulting to sleeping all day and bumming on Netflix? Here, I highlight one of the activities that I’ve found super helpful, and simultaneously relaxing, while enjoying my days/weeks off from medical school.

Make a Vision Board
Ok, ok, ok. I know this may sound like something from Steve Harvey’s talk show, but in being 100% transparent, the first time I had ever heard about vision boards was during an episode of Oprah’s #LifeClass during her interview with Steve Harvey. Now the collective Black community can say what it will about Mr. Harvey, but I will say that his thoughts on vision boards echoed with my firm belief that speaking things into existence and envisioning yourself in the spaces you want to be are powerful forms of self-affirmation and keys to gaining success in life. Another great thing about vision boards is that it serves as a wonderful exercise that forces you to examine your present life and identify what it is that you want for your future. Especially as a medical student deciding between specialties and figuring out the trajectory that I want for myself in my career, I imagined that a vision board would be the perfect opportunity for self reflection. So you’ve decided that a vision board sounds like something you’d be interested in? Let’s get started.

Step 1: Write it Down.

Before I bought any supplies, I sat down and made a list of the short- and long-term goals that I wanted to achieve for myself. I divided the list into categories: family, relationships, health, and career. In total, I spent about 45 minutes to an hour thinking of and jotting down goals for each category, but depending on your preferences, this step can take days.

Step 2: Gather supplies.

The great thing about a vision board is that it is relatively inexpensive to make. All it really takes is a poster board and a little creativity. What you will need:

• Poster board
• Scissors
• Your favorite magazine
• Glue sticks
• Construction paper
• Pictures of yourself, family, and friends

Step 3: Set the Mood.

Choose a space where you feel comfortable. Turn on Spotify. Go at it alone or invite your best friends over and make it a party. Drink a glass of your favorite wine. Grab your list of goals and supplies. The goal is to create an environment where you feel peaceful, comfortable, and inspired.

Step 4: Get to cuttin’ and pastin’.

You have your magazines. Now what? Choose images and words that relate to the goals and visions that you jotted down on your list. These images should evoke some type of emotion so that when you look at your board, you not only imagine yourself obtaining these things, but also the emotions that you associate with them. Happiness. Joy. Excitement. Your board should reflect all of these things. Don’t forget to add images of YOURSELF on the board.

Step 5: Hang it Up.

Vision boards are only helpful if you’re reminded of your visions daily. So it’s important to hang it in a location where you can see it everyday. For me, I placed my vision board right above the desk in my bedroom, a subtle reminder while working to keep going whenever I feel exhausted or lazy.

The finished product is pretty great, and at the end of the day, it’s a tangible piece of work that persists beyond your few days or weeks off from school or work. Have fun!