Dreams


As the dates for my medical postgraduate exams get nearer and nearer, I keep having vivid dreams. Today I woke up in the morning with a great recollection of one of my best dreams ever. It didn't feature any favourites of mine, mostly, but what a dream it was. It felt like the real deal, as if it were happening in real life. The best part is that I can remember it even now, close to 6 hours after waking up from that dream.


I dreamt that I had obtained an all India rank of 79, in the exam for entrance to a post graduate seat (for an MD degree) in AIIMS, Delhi. Four of my undergraduate college batchmates were also successful, with one guy getting a rank of 16. This guy is not my friend. Still we were all happy and celebrating our victories with each other. Some of my future dreams could be easier to achieve with a seat in AIIMS, Delhi.


These dreams reflect a subconscious desire in each of us aspirants. Most Indian college students prepare for some exam or the other in all of their 20s and most of their 30s, especially med students and doctors. In India, most students do not have a social life or extra-curricular activities to supplement their personalities. For us, happiness lies in getting a good enough rank in a good enough college which is supposed to make up for any lapses in our life experiences. Most of us realise too late and our bodies are already wrecked from the lack of secondary activities and our minds are too narrow and maintain skewed perspectives. Yes, a doctor is supposed to see and treat a patient irrespective of their views and without bias, but must a doctor or an engineer or a UPSC aspirant be unaware or unbothered by the massive change in sociopolitical scenery? Is it smart to be unfettered by environmental changes? Is it healthy to work for 12 hours daily, and have no time to rest, play or talk to friends and family? One of the leading causes of heart disease in young adults in India and internationally, is the work-life imbalance. 


Sometimes one does need to switch off from the continuous debates and discussions for one's mental health, which is a privilege for those who remain unaffected by the outcomes. But it does not pay to be ignorant or unaware of most important issues in the society. Views and opinions are as multitudinous as there are people, but keeping in the know-how about issues other than books and ranks are important as well. It is very important to keep in touch with your support system, ie, your family and friends, for these are the people that always have your back. For some, family means the friends and associates they have made along the way, for some others, it means something else. To each their own, and the key to happiness is involvement of these familial elements in some way or another in life. 


As Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter said, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live", we must aim to have a dedicated amount of time to be spent outside of work or work-related activities for leisure, infotainment, exercising and catching up with family and friends. The pandemic has been hard on young adults who would have had to cancel most outdoor events. Modifications can be made, and there is a chunk of information on the internet dealing with indoor activities that can be done to maintain a healthy body and mind. Overworking is the worst for health, yet those in the health industry get overworked to their asses and forget to take some time for themselves, forget to say NO. I guess most of us just want to get it over with, live as fast and short as possible, finish our duties and go back to sleep. Taking some time out, looking from a different angle to our situation, talking to people from different walks of life can help us get out of our shell, and hopefully live longer lives.


Sources- 

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-are-heart-attacks-on-the-rise-in-young-people/; 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19373171/;

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29022571/;

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33477383/


- Sush

💃💃💃



Comments

  1. Dr. SushApril 3, 2021 at 3:37 AM

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  2. DevApril 3, 2021 at 3:44 AM

    It's truly sad that we as a community of doctors are so prompt in advising our patients to go for lifestyle modifications yet we almost always fail to see how important it is to modify our own lifestyle! We spend years chasing degrees, wealth and the dream job but the price we often have to pay for that is too steep.
    Most of the problems that you have outlined in this post can be traced to the single biggest challenge that we face as a country and as individuals - our ginormous population. That is the reason we can't have comprehensive assessments that select the right people and instead admit students based on tests of elimination based on a handful of criteria which may or may not be appropriate!
    I hope your dream comes true! Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. SushApril 3, 2021 at 3:50 AM

      Thank you sir, for the comment. Yes, our overpopulated country means the fight to get at the top is more severe than ever. Depression and burnout in young doctors are at high rates. The testing procedures, if changed at all, must comply with the standard of education provided, and must be implemented gradually.

      Delete
  3. RitikaApril 3, 2021 at 5:21 AM

    Good luck for your exams Susmita, hope your dreams come true.

    ReplyDelete

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