Brittany Goco is a first-year PharmD candidate at the High Point University Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy.
Ever since I was a little kid, my father has always told me that living a balanced life is one of the most important things a person can do. I define balance as my ability to stay on top of my responsibilities while still making time for self-care.
Finding balance does not come without its challenges, though, and maintaining it is quite possibly the biggest challenge of all.
Some weeks harder than others
Balancing my health, my happiness, and my success in the classroom is of utmost importance to me currently. Making the effort to swing by the gym after classes and forcing myself to get some sleep before a big exam are just a couple of the ways I prioritize my health. Attending weekly family dinners as well as making time for Thursday trivia nights at a local brewery with my friends are some forms of self-care that help me be happy. And lastly, getting involved with student organizations and staying engaged during lectures are how I find success academically.
While doing these things is how I balance myself, I would be lying if I said some weeks were not more difficult than others. For example, a month into school I decided to take on an internship at a community pharmacy near my home. I figured it would only add to what I was learning in the classroom and would also be the little chunk of income that I had no longer been receiving since starting school. It started out wonderfully, as I recognized medications on the shelves that my professors had lectured on and was introduced to how my lead pharmacists addressed patient questions. Taking on too many hours at the pharmacy was where I ran into issues though, as I could see my balance starting to go awry.
What I learned was that adding that internship to my schedule was not the issue; it was to what degree I spent my time doing it. Working hard Monday through Friday in school to then go and work on Saturday and Sunday as an intern was just no longer possible. I had to make an adjustment. Instead of wanting to work every weekend, I had to lower my expectations to only being able to work every other weekend and not at all for the couple of weeks leading up to final exams. This allowed me to find my balance once again while still making a valuable contribution to my new work family and my overall experiential learning.
Confident I can tackle future challenges
This article in some way reflects my initiation into self-reflection as a student pharmacist—a process that I’ve already been told is critical to becoming a successful pharmacist. I defined what balance meant to me early on, did my best to find it, and now I continue to work even harder to not let it slip away.
I know more challenges lie ahead, but I have confidence that I can prioritize the aspects that matter most to me and not feel defeated when I have to make adjustments.