As residents, working 12 hours a day, we often wonder, “How do we do it all?”. It feels easy to be overwhelmed at the idea of achieving wellness. While we strive to have the perfect professional and personal life balance, it sometimes feels impossible to read, exercise, do household chores, and fulfill the role of a loving partner/parent/child/friend when we return back home. 

In discussing wellness, I was once asked, “Let’s say you earn $100 a month, what do you do with the money?” I thought, “I would probably spend about $80 on necessities and put $20 into savings.” Just as saving 20% is valuable to ensure we have backup funds to tackle unanticipated circumstances, it’s important not to spend all 100% of our energy just at work, and instead conserve energy to recuperate and cope with difficult times. This strategy describes the essence of true wellness – being mindful of what we have, what we need to achieve, and conserving our capacity to withstand difficult situations. 

This kind of mindset has helped me to reframe how I set personal goals, daily agenda, and manage unexpected situations. Instead of starting with a long list of things that seem equally important, I try to reflect on what is most pressing for the day and prioritize tasks alongside a timeframe for each. Sometimes work life may take precedence and other times personal life. Frequently revisiting the list and reevaluating tasks gives me reassurance that I will eventually get to each item in due time. Additionally, aiming for fewer things per day has allowed me the option to use up “extra” time to take on unplanned tasks or do something special for my own pleasure, such as spend time with friends and family or catch up on Netflix shows!