I DID not want to get out of bed today. I wanted to stay in bed the whole day and just hide between the sheets, hugging my pillows. I did not want to step out of my room and do anything. I didn’t want to see the sun until it was afternoon and I wanted to skip breakfast!
I need to stay in bed! Please! I just really wanted to stay in and do nothing. But I can’t although I am tempted to do so. That, would have been utter bliss! You’re probably saying well, it is Sunday, why not do just do that? No work today anyway. Right? Nope. Not for me!
Unlike most of us, I have to get up and attend a workshop! Yes! On a Sunday! I have been doing so for the past three days and I am telling you, it is no easy feat to wake up in preparation for a whole day of didactics. It feels like that I was back in medical school, only this time, stricter. We are only allowed two 15-minute breaks for snacks and an hour for lunch. And we can’t be late! I had to chuckle to myself, trying to find humor in all these.
On the first day, we were given notes for all the lectures, and it was a huge ring binder with two inches of printed handouts! Do not get me wrong, I am thankful for them but I never realized that I p really have to refer to them during the lectures all the time!
Suddenly, what I thought was supposedly a review of the what we had learned in medical school was actually turning into what feels like new stuff to learn! Ang toxic!!! Even at the end of the first day, I felt like a zombie dragging my ass home!
I guess you could say that there is no better workout like mental exercise. I was aching all over by the time I got home. Hence, alamort: half dead from exhaustion!!! I can understand feeling this way on the first day, but experiencing it for the entire duration of the workshop has somewhat left me in a blue funk!! Arghhh!! Makes me want to go on another vacation!!!
We subject ourselves to these kinds of “torture” for various reasons.
Some of us wholeheartedly accept it (and probably even enjoy it), while others, me included, endure it for the love or need of (you fill in the blanks).
There are times that call for such blind dedication and this could be one of them. We just have to learn to bear it and grin through it! What do we need to do to get through such times?
Always remember why you chose to do it in the first place. Of course, we all have our reasons. Whether the reason is personal or career-oriented, we commit to these things simply because it is a good thing for us to do.
We may hesitate engaging probably because it is beyond our comfort zone (or maybe we really don’t feel like doing it at all), but still find it imperative to get it done because it is a "must" that could mean favorable opportunities in the future.
We all aspire to become better versions of ourselves so if it means to endure moments like this, then so be it! Think payback. Short of sounding like we are out for vengeance, think of all the advantages you can get out of it!
Sometimes, we endure doing things because we know that it will give us valuable knowledge and skills that we will be able to use to our benefit in the future.
The road to enlightenment may not always be bright and sunny but we must forge on, keeping our eyes focused on the horizon knowing that when we get there, things will be better. One step at a time. Yes. Do that. Take it one step at a time. Let us not drown in all the things we need to get done before we actually do it.
Sometimes we get overwhelmed by overthinking about the tasks we need to accomplish. We get swept off by that dizzying list of to-do’s wave that we find ourselves reeling from thinking of ways to achieve them even before they actually occur! Relax lang. It will not help if you stress yourself out thinking and worrying about something that has not even happened yet.
We really cannot go through life smoothly all the time although we wish we could live lives that are idyllic. The bumps are expected and we should welcome them..or at least try. All these challenges, whether accepted by choice or not, will make better people out of all of us. They may bring discomfort and pain at times, but they add character to our persona and will certainly make learning memorable.
I may have gone home each day “battered and bruised” from all the information overload that I needed to cram into my brain until I had occupational epidemiology, medical biostatistics, and research methods coming out of every orifice in my head but I know more than I did yesterday, so I am sure I will be better because of it from now on.
We should face life’s challenges the same way. With head held high despite the fear. With positivity despite the doubts. With much hope and a lot of prayers. We’ll do just fine. And proudly. You’ll see! Happy Sunday Everyone! :)
