Pre-dental series 3: How to Find Balance in Dental School by Lindsey Swenson
How to Find Balance in Dental School
Dental school can be very overwhelming, especially when you’re first starting out. The beast of a didactic course load can feel like it requires 99% of your energy, and more will be demanded of you as you learn to develop your hand-skills. It will still be important to sleep enough, eat a healthy diet, and exercise. In order to succeed you will need to make time to have fun, relax and enjoy your hobbies.
So how the heck are you supposed to do all of that?!?!
Over the last year, I’ve learned a few things that helped me get through the extra challenging weeks.
Identify your priorities
I will preface by saying: your physical and mental health must be on this list. Obviously during weeks where you have 4 exams it won’t always be possible to stick to your workout routine. There will be times where you feel stressed, anxious or down. There is a fine line between the normal stress of dental school and getting to a place where you are not okay. Remember that there are resources available on campus to help you such as the Office of Student Outreach and Support or the Student and Resident Mental Health program.
Once you’ve prioritized your wellness, list the things that are most important to you. Doing well in school, spending time with specific people or enjoying a hobby are some examples. Ranking the things that mean the most to you provides direction when you have five things you’d like to do, but you only have time to do one.
Schedule EVERYTHING, and I mean everything
Undoubtedly, the most valuable thing you have in dental school is your time. One way to make the most out of each hour is to schedule everything out. Not just what courses you need to attend, but schedule blocks of time to study, to practice your hand skills, to cook dinner, etc. I find if I have a massive to-do list but no scheduled blocks to complete tasks, I'll spend way too long on one thing and I'll never get it all done.
Show up for yourself every day
Scheduling was a life-changing hack for me back in undergrad that has served me well in dental school. However, scheduling is no good without self-discipline. Anyone who made it into a doctoral program is already capable of this, but it will feel like someone turned up the heat.
There are a few things you can do to make sure you stick to your plan.
Scheduling breaks will recharge you and keep you focused when you’re in work-mode. I also schedule what I call “flex time.” Flex time is time at the end of the day that allows me to complete tasks that I couldn’t finish during the day. If I was really efficient and got everything done, guess what!? BONUS BREAK TIME!
Take a peek at your screen time. Chances are, you’re spending hours on social media without realizing it. I delete it off of my phone and log in on my laptop when I feel like I want to scroll. This keeps my focus in check, and keeps me mentally healthier.
Lastly, I know you’ve heard it before but getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night really will keep you going stronger, for longer.
Learn to say no
Of course we want to make our families, partners and friends happy by saying “yes” every time they ask us to hang out. If you have time in your schedule and you genuinely want to do something, that’s great. However, dental school will make you tired, you will have to study and sometimes the people you love just won’t get it. It’s hard to feel like you’re disappointing people but as long as you’re doing your best to see them when you can, it's always okay to say no. The people who truly respect and support you will understand.
While I am still learning how to balance dental school with life, I truly believe it is the key to success. Although it might not happen right away, trust that you will get the hang of it.
As always, don’t forget to believe in yourself :)