Move, Nourish, Believe

This week’s [optional] theme for the Fit Dish link up (hosted by Jill Conyers @ JillConyers.com, &Ā JessicaĀ Joy @ TheFitSwitch.org) is on…how I move, nourish & believe.

Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure where to proceed with this one, but…as some of you may know, I’m currently in the middle of my psych rotation, and…to say the least, it has not been a pleasant experience. (I’d go as far as to say it’s the only rotation I’ve hated so far.) I’ve been doing my best to stay positive though.

One of my friends made me a handmade emoticon to help.

One of my friends made me a handmade emoticon to help. <3 Thanks, Dave!

My favorite part of my days = when I get to spend time with the patients, so much so that when I get ditched for several hours, I pass the time by attending group therapy sessions with them (and transmuting them into Medical Mondays posts, e.g. yesterday’s post on Kicking Unhealthy Thinking Habits).

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d be a terrible psychiatrist (or at least, according to my impression of what a psychiatrist seems to do). Mine would mainly just adjust medications, which I realize is very important for a lot of them, but what of the psychological aspect? I know there are therapists who are better qualified, but I don’t think it’d hurt to offer some comforting words here and there, just let them know that you cared about them, even if it’s something as simple as just addressing them by name.

It appears that my experience is extremely atypical as compared to everyone else’s psych rotations, so I guess I just got [un]lucky with mine. It is a-okay though, because that’s where my awesome support system kicked in! <3

I think the most important pieces to living a healthy lifestyle (aside from the obvious ones–maintaining a healthy diet and getting some form of regular physical activity in) are to:

  1. Nourish your mind.
  2. Maintain a positive outlook.
  3. Cultivate your relationships.

Learn from the bad experiences, look for the silver linings, and don’t ever take the amazing people in your life for granted.

To keep myself in good spirits, I took Princess Muffin on a walk over to another friend’s place so we could study together. (He’s on psych as well, but infinitely happier.)

IMG_9914

One of the families at my church has pretty much adopted me in the sense that they invite me to all their family functions. They are incredibly sweet and super supportive of me. <3 I got to celebrate [one of] the grandma’s 90th birthday with them! :]

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa & Steamed Vegetables! :]

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa & Steamed Vegetables! :]

They gave me the cutest desserts ever to take home with me:

cutedesserts

I can’t bring myself to eat the gummy animals because they’re too cute!

 

I’ve also been pedaling out my frustrations on my new stationary bike trainer (thank you, Ricardo!)…and giving myself daily pep talks/trying to keep my complaints to a minimum, because I dislike burdening people with my problems.

My parents also recently came back from Asia, so they sent me a ginormous care package. (My mom would be exceptionally gifted at Tetris.)

Is that luggage tag (the cat!) not the cutest thing you've ever seen!? <3

Is that luggage tag (the cat!) not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!? <3

On Friday, my friend invited me over for dinner because she knew I’d had a somewhat upsetting [and frighteningly long] week. The coconut curry rice, quinoa patties, and brownies were wonderful, especially when coupled together with awesome company and fun youtube videos. :]

I’ve been doing massive weekend meal prepping since the start of medical school. It helps me to continue eating healthy, and also saves me a bunch of money. (I typically spend ~$50-100/month on food/groceries.) Since the start of clinical rotations, I’ve suckered my friend into doing it with me! :D

We made Avocado, Tomato & Mozzarella appetizers, Honey Srirarcha Chicken, Tomato Chicken Stew. (I’ll share recipes eventually!)

Since we’re doing our rural rotations and won’t be living in our apartments for a while, we decided to also make a massive kitchen-sink salad to use up ingredients in our respective apartments. Hooray for no waste!

foodprep

Food is definitely the best medicine [for me]. <3

I’m also super happy to report that life has gotten infinitely better because…I have a new preceptor for psych! She’s super super nice, listens to the things I say, very happy to teach, asks me questions but doesn’t make me feel like I am brainless if I don’t know the answer, and actually knows what my name is (on the first day!)! <3 <3 <3

I wish I’d had her for my entire rotation, but y’know what? Can’t be too greedy–I’m just going to count my blessings and enjoy the next couple days. <3


Dish The Fit

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32 comments

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    • Ricardo on March 3, 2015 at 12:24 am
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    You had me at Honey Srirarcha Chicken. And yay for pedaling out your frustrations!

    1. I promise I’ll have the recipe up in uh, a month or two, hahaha. :x

  1. I NEED that luggage tag! So so cute! Music tends to work for me to get over a bad mood. I will put on the cheesiest or most random song and I always end up breaking up in a laugh at how bad/weird the song is! :) I meal prep twice a week…I seriously think I am spending too much time in the kitchen :)
    Elsie @ Sharing Healthiness recently posted…Proper Form is A Measure of ProgressMy Profile

    1. I can’t help smiling every time I look at it! I think my mom was pretty amused by how much I was gushing over how cute it was, hahaha. But yesss, music! <3 Definitely a great cure!

      I think time spent in the kitchen is wonderful. <3! Food makes my world go round!

  2. Princess muffin is adorable :-)
    Your 3 tips are great. “Healthy” is so much more than eating veggies and running.
    Julie @ Running in a Skirt recently posted…Kale PastaMy Profile

    1. Thank you! <3 She fills my life with joy! :]

      Agreed! Gotta think about the whole person and everything that contributes to it!

  3. I second the yay for pedaling out frustrations! Also, I totally think that maintaining a positive outlook is one of the only ways to keep sane….it is easy to becoming a negative nelly!
    Annmarie recently posted…Blogiversary GiveawayMy Profile

    1. For sure! I kinda noticed myself spiraling in that direction early on, so I put a stop to it! :D Gotta at least fake it til you make it! :P

  4. I love your quote- don’t take the amazing people in your life for granted! What a great reminder! I am glad your rotation is shaping up a little better but just keep peddling! You will be on to the next one before you know it! Good job with the meal prep that is so important and one thing I need to work harder on! Have a great week!
    Mary Beth Jackson recently posted…March= Move, Nourish & Believe :)My Profile

    1. Me too! :D I wish I’d had this preceptor for the entire rotation, but I can’t be too greedy, so I’m just gonna count my blessings! <3

      (I will admit though that this rotation has definitely given me an even greater appreciation for the people in my life. <3 )

  5. So happy you got a new teacher, wow, what a difference. And great job doing everything you could to stay positive!!! WOOT. Big props. All those dinners and get togethers are inspiring me. That curry, wow, I need to learn to make a great curry. SO happy you have friends and fam who support you. You’re doing amazing things. Keep it up. Cheers, friend!
    Jessica Joy @The Fit Switch recently posted…MOVE NOURISH BELIEVE. A PHOTO ESSAY.My Profile

    1. As far as I can tell, no one there knew that I was at all upset for the past 3 weeks, so I consider it a win! I am super, super grateful for the people in my life too. <3

      Thank you, and I hope you have an awesome week! :D!

  6. Some yummy food you have there! I really need to start the meal prep thing :) Powerlifting is coming back into my life :)
    Ivanna recently posted…March Health and Fitness Goals and Being ConsistentMy Profile

    1. It saves so much money! :D

      Yay, glad to hear! I am still sore from Monday’s workout, but it’s a good kind of sore! <3

  7. Love that you have a stationary bike set up :) I nourish by trying to eat as colorfully as possible – my stomach and body don’t feel to good if I have a “bland” day (lacking in fruits and veggies).
    Jess @hellotofit recently posted…Link Love #7 and getting dressed upMy Profile

    1. It makes it so I can’t use the terrible weather as an excuse not to exercise! ;P

      Colorful foods cheer me up too! :]!

  8. Care packages from mom and dad are the best! A good walk usually gets me out of a funk. That, or completely disconnecting from the internet (which seems to be the source of all of my stress).
    Pragati // Simple Medicine recently posted…The Truth About SugarMy Profile

    1. Agreed! :D

      Ooo, walks! I love those too, but have been too much of a wimp to brave the cold lately, haha. Technology definitely does have a tendency to stress me out too!

  9. I’m glad things are looking up for you! Way to keep positive and I love the idea of pedaling away your frustrations! I like to punch and kick the bag I got when I was taking Krav Maga classes. So much fun and makes me feel like a bad a@s! Have a wonderful butt-kicking week!!
    diane@runninrocker recently posted…Rockinā€™ the Move Nourish Believe WayMy Profile

    1. That’s awesome! I would totally do that too if I had a punching bag! (Someday, when I finally have my own space! <3) I've never taken Krav Maga classes, but I bet that would be all sorts of fun! :]

      Hope you have a butt-kickin' week as well! <3

  10. I really do believe that the key to success is planning ahead. Meal prep saves so much time and money.
    Kim recently posted…Quick To Listen & Slow To Speak – Part 2My Profile

    1. Agreed! :D I’ve cut my food/grocery budget down so much by doing that!

  11. Love your post!! The food looks awesome! You’ve inspired me to plan out a meal or two this week. Your positive attitude is infectious! :)
    Melanie recently posted…Weekly Rundown and Fitness PlanMy Profile

    1. Thank you! I’ve been tryin’ hard! :D

  12. Princess Muffin is adorable! Sounds like you have a great support system. Hanging out with friends/family usually helps me out of a bad mood. That and just keeping busy. Love the gummy animals on the desserts you got to take home. They are pretty creative! Have a great week Farrah!
    Sharon recently posted…How I will Move Nourish Believe This WeekMy Profile

    1. Keeping busy is my favorite way to snap myself out of something, haha. At worst, I’ll at least still be productive and too exhausted to dwell on the negative, and at best, I really do snap out of it. Win-win!

      They’re so cute, I really can’t eat em’! ;_;

      Hope you have a great week too! <3

  13. So glad you’re finding some good things to focus on! Exercise is always a must to snap me out of a bad mood and SUNSHINE!
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…4 Ways Blogging Has Changed My LifeMy Profile

    1. For sure! Exercise is really good for snapping me out of terrible moods too!

      Never would’ve guessed on the sunshine! ;P

  14. Happy to hear you’re experience with psych is getting better! And it’s so important to have a support system. So it sounds like psychiatry is not in your future. What area of medicine do you want to go into? My daughter is determined to be an orthopedic surgeon.
    jill conyers recently posted…A Glimpse of MOVE NOURISH BELIEVEMy Profile

    1. hehehe, most definitely not! :P I used to volunteer as an interpreter for a free primary care clinic in CA, and my experiences there were a big part of what made me want to go into medicine, so I’m still most interested in Family Medicine (+ possible sub-specialty in sports!). :]!

      We have a couple people in our class who want to go into orthopedics! :]

  15. Sounds like you’ve had a good week despite not enjoying this rotation. Love your outlook! One thing I do to snap myself out of a bad mood is spend time with my dog. Ideally, if I have the energy, I take her for a run because there’s nothing better than running with her. It brings me so much joy. Her joy of the smallest of things puts everything in perspective for me.
    Gloria recently posted…Choose happiness.My Profile

    1. This week was wonderful! <3 <3 <3 I think my preceptor was mildly amused/bewildered by how uncharacteristically enthusiastic I was about getting to do anything (mainly because I spent the last 3 weeks doing almost nothing :[ ). I actually tried to brave the snowstorm this morning because it's my last day of getting to work with her, but the roads were absolutely terrible, so the chief resident advised me to stay home. :x

      That would definitely lift my spirits too! <3 I really hope that when I'm finally done moving around (and have the time + money), I can go adopt a dog from a rescue! <3! Dogs are by far my best motivators in getting me to run! (Seeing them happy makes me happy, and as you know, it doesn't take much! :] )

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