It’s Whatever Wednesdays… but all the 4th year med students are just Waiting for Friday. This should be a short post, published early, on purpose.
Life is on pause because you’ve matched but you don’t know where yet.
Stock Photo From: Pexels
So in my prior post from Monday – Congratulations, you have matched!, we talked about being limbo as you wait for Friday.
Waiting for Friday
I advised all you 4th year med students not to try to think too hard about where you matched because it will just cause anxiety. However, it’s now Wednesday, and Friday looms ever closer. So I remember that around this time I was getting antsy.
Your mind wanders… and you start thinking…
Did I match at #1 or #2? Or maybe it was #3?
I hope it wasn’t #14… maybe I shouldn’t have ranked that one…
You break into a cold sweat just thinking about it…
Have you heard of “The Game”?
The generally accepted rules are:
- Everyone in the world is playing The Game. (Sometimes narrowed to: “Everybody in the world who knows about The Game is playing The Game”, or alternatively, “You are always playing The Game.”) A person cannot choose to not play The Game; it does not require consent to play and one can never stop playing.
- Whenever one thinks about The Game, one loses.
- Losses must be announced. This can be verbally, with a phrase such as “I just lost The Game”, or in any other way: for example, via Facebook. Some people may have signals or expressions that remind others of The Game.
Essentially, the object of The Game is to not think about it. If you think about it, you’ve lost.
This is kind of what is happening to all the 4th year med students right now. They are all trying not to think about the Match, but they’ve all lost.
So I’m here to tell you:
It’s ok. Try to relax.
Here is a list of things to do to take your mind off Friday:
- Go watch a movie. I heard Logan is good.
- Binge watch something at home. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter. Pick your poison.
- Watch a very old series… like the Power Rangers Marathon over on Twitch.tv.
- Read a book. Or reread a favorite book, or even a favorite book series.
- Browse my website. 😀 Start here
- Take your parents out for brunch, lunch, or dinner… or all three.
- Try some new food, like poké.
- Try to cook something new. I want to make some steak with chimichurri sauce.
- Go to an all you can eat place and test your limits. 😀
- Take a nap.
- Hang out at your favorite coffee shop and people watch.
- Do a crossword puzzle, and actually try to complete it.
- Play Sudoku.
- Find your old video game system and replay an old game. If you have an old SNES, play The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
- If you have a new system, find a new game for that. I heard Horizon: Zero Dawn and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are good.
- Play a free game online. Slither.io is mindless fun.
- Go for a walk, or a run.
- Go play a round of golf, or tennis, or whatever.
- Clean your room.
- Donate old clothes in preparation for your probable move.
- Plan a trip somewhere.
- Hang out with friends.
- Learn something new. Go fold some origami.
- Knit some pokémon.
- Be you.
Ok… now what?
What do you mean now what? You’ve done all the things I listed above? Unlikely.
More than likely you’ve looked at all the things above and are just like “meh”. In the grand scheme of things, these activities above pale in comparison to how important Friday’s Match is.
I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.
It’s only March. You will find out where you matched this Friday and then you will scramble around trying to prepare for probable move. Then there is a the loan exit interview and all this paperwork from your internship. From there you need to find place to live, graduation, moving, and it’s all go-go-go again. Then intern year will start and you will be up to your neck in new responsibility and new stress.
Take these next few days to slow down.
This will be one of the few times in the next 3+ years that you aren’t being pushed or pulled somewhere.
Try to enjoy it.
Remember this:
From Owlturd.com
Smile. Laugh. Relax.
TL;DR
Don’t think about the Match.
If you think about the Match you’ve lost.
I’m not even in the Match and I thought about the Match, so I lost.
Go do other stuff, listed above.
Smile. Laugh. Relax.
There will be plenty of time to panic after you figure out where you matched.
-Sensei
Agree? Disagree? Questions, Comments and Suggestions are welcome.
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