Virginia Truxillo is a third-year PharmD candidate at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy.
While I was in the thick of my second year, if someone had told me to “go for a walk,” I would have (respectfully) rolled my eyes and told them no. Frankly, any addition to my to-do list would have sent me spiraling.
I look back at that year with such high regard for my past self because I wonder: How did I do it? A pharmacotherapy exam Friday with a deadline for a research project that evening, followed by working that weekend, and a quiz Monday. Not to mention the blood drive I had signed up for, and at some point in time I needed to give proof of life to my friends and boyfriend who were not in pharmacy school. I, like so many student pharmacists, had lost sight of what is truly important.
When you make so many commitments and come to the unfortunate realization that there are only so many hours in a day, you inevitably realize that something has to give. And unfortunately, you may give up on yourself. Well, somewhere between spring semester of my second year and becoming the better, older, wiser version of my current third-year self, I decided that I was not going to give on myself.
A non-negotiable activity
I have a dog (Maya), so taking some time outside every day is a must for her well-being. And while pre-pharmacy school me had been more consistent in walking her over a mile each day, if I looked ahead and saw a busy schedule, a long walk with Maya would be the first thing I would remove from my to-do list (please don’t call PETA). But when I started to think a touch more existentially, I realized that walking Maya should be non-negotiable.
I know getting fresh air and going for a walk is good for you and your endorphins, etc., but it is! I had totally underestimated my need to move my body and see some grass. It sounds so silly, but seeing things bigger than a computer screen actually changes my daily perspective. Maya gets to do some sniffing—something she is very good at—and I get to look at houses in our neighborhood and judge their latest holiday decorations. Sometimes, we’ll see some wildlife on our walks (mainly deer), and sometimes we’ll catch a beautiful sunset. These walks have even given us a chance to meet some neighbors and build rapport with them as we pass them each day.
Something I do for me
I want to emphasize that I don’t go on these walks so I can be more productive when I get back to studying and deadline-meeting. Though that certainly is a perk. But these walks are for Maya and me. I have a mind and a body that I get to live with for the rest of my life, so I might as well take care of them.
I hope this article inspires you to do the same for yourself.