Hello my lovely readers, I am excited to be bringing back Monthly Updates which is a time for me to reflect on the month and tell share with you all any updates that I have. Honestly, I am glad October is over because I feel like I need a new fresh start, October was kinda difficult for me to be truthful with you all. I'll unpack some of that in today's blog. And stay until the end for a special challenge!
Before we get into it, if you missed my September Update you can read it here!
Academic Update, Stress, and Looking Forward
In this past month, I have been learning a lot in my classes. The semester got busy very quickly as I was preparing for all my midterms, papers, etc but overall I have still been loving all my classes. My favorite class is hands down Cellular Biology and Physiology! The content of this class gets me so excited and has affirmed my decision to be a cell biology major. It is just amazing to make connections with medicine and diseases to the cellular level or to understand the mechanisms on a cellular level that make our bodies function everyday such as learning about the channels that are in heart muscles cells and how the regulation of calcium is how heart contraction and relaxation is occurring. Last month, I learned the mechanisms of retroviruses and how they invade cells and now this month I am learning about cholera and how to cholera toxin affects the mechanisms of small intestine cells which leads to dehydration. I could go on and on, I really love cell biology.
This month I had to get ready to register for next semester's courses and to plan out my remaining three semesters of college...which saying that is so crazy!! I always get really stressed out during this time because between cell biology major, french minor, pre-med classes, Gemstone honors program, and general education courses my semesters tend to get so hectic they make every advisor freak out. But given how well I have been doing academically, we put a lot in one semester so that I can graduate on time.
This is the case this semester with me taking 20 credits, and I am happy to say that more than half way through I have all As right now!! I am super proud because I have been working my butt off! But, I have also been more overwhelmed than I have ever been before. Some days I feel defeated, like no matter how hard I try I just can't catch up to the material. Like I can't take a break without falling behind.
Sigh, I don't want to get to emotional but this semester has been teaching me a lot about myself and about building HEALTHY study habits and a good balance in life. I have always always been a person who pushed myself academically, my mom can attest to my little breakdowns even in elementary school when I felt that I didn't do my best. I have been an A student since second grade! And all of this is amazing, my determination is what has gotten me to this point in life, but with classes getting harder, with more on my plate, and with the stress of college and being pre-med, I just can't have this mentality. I've been on a journey of being less hard on myself. On allowing myself the break, allowing myself to make mistakes. I mean I'm not losing focus in anyway, in fact I would say these new habits are making me more focused because I don't want to burn out before med school and by the time I am Dr. Laurence I want to be able to handle stress in the best way I can so that I can put my patients first.
With all that being said, I have come up with a four year plan that I am finally happy with. First, I am taking a winter class! I am taking a special topics in biology course on the cellular mechanisms of disease and aging...and as I already talked about I LOVE learning these cellular mechanisms of the body so I am honestly so excited. Next semester, I will be taking Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics, Biology of Cancer, French, Academic Writing, Gemstone, and a Gen Ed. Although this is 18 credits which is still a pretty heavy load my actual schedule is 100x better than what I deal with now, I should be out of class by 12pm 3/5 days of the week which will give me TIME to study, to volunteer, and do hopefully do some clinical experiences next semester. I am also moving physics to over the summer and I am glad I made the decision to do a winter class and a summer class so that I can have better balance as I finish out my degree!
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November Challenge
With all that said, I thought it would be a cute idea to have a little "StylebyKye Challenge" that we can all be a part of to get our new month started off right, I wanted to challenge everyone to both some productivity tasks and some self care tasks to incorporate into your weekly schedule.
Sunday: Plan our your week!
Planning and organizing are keys to success. Whether you use a planner or an online calendar, make a plan of what you want your week to look like! What do you want to accomplish and what will you do this week to get closer to your overall goals?
Monday: Get up and Workout
Working out clears my mind and makes me feel amazing, start of your week with some strength training or cardio. Or maybe some yoga! You could go to the gym or wake up a little earlier and do it in your room or outside.
Tuesday: Social Media Break
We all need a social media break once in a while, this Tuesday sent a block of time and challenge yourself to no social media during this time. Whether this is 3 hours, 5 hours or the whole day is up to you but give it a try!
Wednesday: Hump Day Inspiration
Getting over that mid-week hump can be hard sometimes, this Wednesday refocus on what inspires you. Journal it, talk about it with friends, visualize it or share it with me I would love to hear about your inspiration and goals.
Thursday: Grind it Out
Pick one big tasks on your list of upcoming assignments or exams and put all your time and energy into it for a few hours this Thursday. You'll feel great when you get it done before the weekend or if you make a big dent into the task!
Friday: Relax and Read
On Fridays, I always take a break. This Friday, find a cozy spot and a good book and get lost in a novel for a few hours. Right now I am reading "Outbreak Culture" which is about the ebola outbreak.
That's the challenge guys! If you decide to do it along with me send me pictures or messages! Let's give November our very best start!
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I hope you all enjoyed this blog and have a wonderful Sunday. I will be back next week with another post so don't forget to subscribe!
xoxo,
Kye