Read week 1 Hi everyone! You must be very excited to be starting your journey towards freedom! Can you smell that freedom from exams, institutions and stress? Don’t worry, I understand completely how stressful this journey can be and I won’t pretend that it is easy. In fact, it takes daily courage to wake up…

Read week 2 Hi Everyone! I hope you’ve taken a moment today to stop and breathe. If not, do it now. Feel the cool air touch the back of your throat, and fill your lungs deeply. Imagine the oxygen  nourishing your cells as they carry your mind into a world of study once more. You’ve…

Read week 3 Hi Everyone! Have you been eating well today? I know during my preparation for exams I gained over 5kg in weight from eating whatever I wanted. Chips and chocolates were my go-to foods. While I thought it felt great to lay my usual restrictions aside, I know that these foods were not…

Read week 4 Hi Everyone! How are your muscles and joints feeling today? Take a moment now to stand up and roll your ankles, roll your wrists, roll your shoulders and stretch your neck. If you haven’t seen them already, check out Bob and Brad on Youtube. They are a physiotherapy duo who provide excellent…

Read week 5 Hi everyone! How are your energy levels going? If you’re entering a period of study and you’re feeling completely depleted it’s sometimes useful to run on the spot for a minute, have a brief 15 minute nap, have a quick wander outside on the grass, do some stretching, or if those fail,…

Read week 6 Hi Everyone, Take your shoes off for a minute. Can you feel the soft fluffy carpet under your feet? Or the cool smooth tiles? Or the grain of he floor boards? When was the last time you walked through the grass with bare feet? Taking these times to nourish your tactile senses…

Read week 7 Hi Everyone, How much water have you been drinking today? Do you know the feeling of being truly hydrated? Trial this experiment for a week and see how you feel: drink a large glass of water with a squeeze of lemon in it as soon as you wake up in the morning….

Read week 8 Hi everyone! Have you chatted to your dad lately? Or perhaps you think of another prominent male as your paternal figure? Take a few minutes to send a text message, email or make a phone call to a special male in your life to let them know you’re thinking of them and…

Read week 9 Hi everyone! When was the last time you gave your mum a call? Mums are special people in our lives. Take a few minutes today to give mum a call, send her a message or organise some flowers to be delivered. Sometimes a little affirmation is all you need to get through…

Read week 10 Hi Everyone, Stop for a minute and process where you are at the moment. What can you hear? What can you smell? Take a few minutes to choose a piece of music to accompany your study – I always find piano pieces by Yiruma to be calming, and music from movies to…

Read week 11 Hi everyone! Have you filled your eyes with magical things lately? It’s very easy to spend our days looking at our phones, our computers and our books and fail to take a few moments to watch the colourful sunset, or the wistful clouds, or the wild ocean. Take some time away from…

Read week 12 Hi everyone! Take yourself to the bathroom for a minute, and wash your face in the sink. Count to 30 while you’re doing it, and enjoy the warm (or cold) water on your skin cleaning the day’s grime away. I always find this to be incredibly refreshing and rejuvenating and a good…

Read week 13 Hi everyone! I hope you’ve been practising your cancer-minimising behaviours as we recommend to our patients? Quick recap – testicular self-check, breast self-check, sunscreen, stopping smoking, reduction in over-consumption of red or processed meat, and checking stool for blood. Remember to prioritise your own health! This week is about oncology/haematology. One of…

Read week 14 Hi everyone! When is the last time you’ve had a good belly laugh? Take a few minutes now to tell a joke to your partner, or get into a tickling match with a friend. Practising joyfulness is sometimes quite difficult when life is piling in on top of you, but really is…

Read week 15 Hi Everyone! How are you going? I mean, how are you really going? When is the last time you’ve had a real think about your coping, moods and resilience? Are you displaying any physical signs of stress such as tight muscles, nail biting, teeth grinding, elevated heart rate or unexplained fatigue? Take…

Read week 16 Hi everyone! How do you manage stress? Do your shoulders tighten up, does your heart start to pound? Do you struggle to keep your hands or body still? If so, it might be worth spending time practicing some meditation exercises so that if an emergency hits, you’ll have the tools to be…

Read week 17 Hi everyone! How great are grandparents?! They carry with them such wisdom and history. If you have grandparents still alive, when is the last time you’ve seen them? Reflect on their lives and contemplate any wisdom or legacy they have left you. Has this wisdom affected your work as a doctor? This…

Read week 18 Hi Everyone! Are you in touch with your spirituality? Do you know your cultural origins? Have you taken time recently to appreciate the variety of culture all around you? This week is about Aboriginal health. I had the privilege of doing my extended skills term in an Aboriginal Medical Service. As part…

Read week 19 Hi everyone! How good does it feel to be safe at home?! Look around your room now for a minute and be give thanks for safety, a comfortable seat, a desk, opportunity to study and the ability to earn income. This week is about travel medicine, infectious diseases and refugee medicine. Travel…

Read week 20 Hi everyone! What do you do during the times when you’re feeling great? Do you know what I do? I forget to do my back exercises, start to sneak in snack food and stay up late. Wouldn’t it be better if we used our moments of feeling great to add value to…