Dear readers, medicine, like most careers, doesn't leave time for family life and hobbies. You have to make the time to follow your interests to spark more joy. The article suggests a few fun ways to help you relax.

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Right before medical school, during the period of schooling and junior college, our enthusiasm for our hobbies and passions was at its epitome. For some of us, every evening would be the “me” time where we would dedicate those hours to doing something that made us happy and feel relaxed after those long study hours and college travelling.

Then why have we forgotten about that same routine today, where we actually need it the most? Stress comes hand in hand with us doctors owing to the long working hours and stressful job profiles and burnouts are also a major part of this.

As doctors, we focus a lot on our careers and that focus can get addictive. It can not only hamper our health and state of mind but also affect a lot of factors, including our societal and familial relationships.

Nurturing our passions and hobbies can be a great channel to vent out all this stress and can also help us keep those creative cells active throughout our busy lives. Also, doing activities together with your family or friends helps you stay connected with them and also pushes your subconscious to define yourself in a creative aspect outside your medical and clinical work.

Let's have a look at a few fun things you can do to help you relax.

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Writing

As doctors, we spend a lot of time in hospitals and clinics writing about patient records, medical notes, patient status, etc. After spending so much time on this writing aspect, doing the same after leaving your workplace is the last thing you might want to do. But let's not ignore the advantages of extracurricular writing. It can be anything from writing an article for a blog or even simple journaling. Writing can be a way of expressing emotions and can sometimes act as a great channel to just let out and let go.

Scientific writing in the case of journal publications and medical writing can be the best example of a great communication of passion and profession together if someone is passionate about writing. Professional writing usually requires a lot of research and that helps in improving your overall knowledge, too. This can help you grow professionals by generating a secondary source of income if you are a full-time practitioner or just help you grow individually as it's one more the most productive way to keep you occupied even on your day-offs or small breaks in between work.

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Exercise

Someone might feel that how can exercise be a hobby or a passion. The routine pictures of exercise in our mind are heavy weights and tough workout regimens. But let's step back to our school days when we had so many fun ways we exercised and never considered it that tedious. Right from using our cycles to reach school to practising dance for hours and hours together for our annual day. And let's not forget our little strolls with our parents after dinner and all the extra playtime we got in the sports period at school.

Cycling again is a great form of exercise as it comes with a lot of benefits with the cardio exercise requirement of your body.

Dance, on the other hand, is the best way to shut down a stressful mind as the music and the beats help you divert and make you feel happy in return. And then in return release of happiness-inducing neurotransmitters like serotonin and nor-epinephrine take care of curbing that stress and relaxing you completely.

Yoga and meditation can again be effective ways to reduce stress and help you feel more at peace and more composed.

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Painting

Let's imagine a situation. Sitting on your balcony or backyard in the green luscious environment with a black-white canvas or a sheet with a set of brushes and paints? Doesn't the thought itself sound very relaxing? So the actual situation would be so pleasant.

You need not be a professional painter to start with. A few YouTube videos or just your own random creativity can be a great way to feel relaxed and take a break from all the work-related stress. Painting requires creativity and a certain level of focus. And this itself is enough to distract you from any stressful situation. The colours and strokes are nothing less than a form of meditation when done with complete passion and with one’s all heart and soul.

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Travelling

Long working hours, less sleep, and barely some time for yourself. And travelling for leisure? That sounds like an absolutely impossible task to work on, right? But if you learn to develop a good balance in your schedule and manage your time well, a small weekend gateway with your family or a good week’s break in some hilly area or by a beach should be a tough plan to execute. One of the best advantages of travelling is the change of location actually drives both your mind and body in the most effective way, away from work. A change in the weather around, different and unique cuisines, and sightseeing can induce a lot of happiness and excitement, which can be the best way to de-stress. Travelling can also help you detach from your daily monotonous working pattern and set you free for a while.

A long journey can be tiring without breaks, but absolutely fun with little breaks and some free time. Let’s prioritise ourselves this time and let's pamper ourselves with some well-deserved leisure time!

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Disclaimer- The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of M3 India.

About the author of this article: Dr Ridima Surve is a practising dentist from Mumbai.