Last week was a test of everything I’ve been learning and everything I put into the September issue of the Physician Assistant Exam Scholar’s Newsletter.
My family teamed up with another family and spent a week at the beach in an 800 square foot three bedroom tiny condo — eight of us. I don’t know about you, but that’s tougher time than I can handle with anyone. I get the chills just thinking about it. (I may seem like a lovely people person, but remember I work with patients who are 100% asleep, and I communicate with you mostly from the solitude of my home). I like being around people, but my brain can’t do it for long periods of time without a complete system failure.
That brings me to you. Your brain day in and day out studying and in lectures is the point of this here story. The relentless stream of input, the constant on, and constant concentration is overwhelming. What’s worse is that it builds and compounds. I’ve seen it first hand in the OR. If I do an eight-hour case one day, I’m ok. If I do two of those days in a row, I get a little shaky and a little slow. Three days like that and the wheels come off entirely. I get home and crash before dinner.
The same thing goes for living with seven other people. One day is fine. Two is not bad at all, but past three days and I start to fade.
I’ve spent years figuring out how to deal with this brain drain. The good news is that the same techniques apply across every single setting. I breezed through my week at the beach with zero issues. In fact, I felt better when I got back then when I’d left. The philosophies and techniques I wrote about for the September issue of the Physician Assistant Exam Scholar’s Newsletter are the same techniques and philosophies I applied all week. I’ve rarely felt better. My head is clear. I don’t feel that fog. I don’t feel that overwhelm and I don’t feel that weight on my shoulders.
Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings said perfectly, “I feel, thin, like butter, scraped over too much bread.” That is exactly how it feels. Like you’re not even there anymore.
One of the philosophies I cover in the September issue is something I only discovered a few months ago, and it has been a complete game-changer. I’m feeling right as rain, and my mental acuity has jumped a few levels. It didn’t take long to implement, and the difference has been jaw-dropping.
I’ll tell you all about it but hurry. The deadline is tonight. The first thing I’ll do tomorrow morning when I get up is close out the cart so that I can finalize all the addresses and printing and whatnot.
Click below and feel the weight slide from your shoulders and the fog clear from your mind.
