Surviving the Holidays during Residency by Kristen Math

Christmas in our house always ends up looking more like a National Lampoons holiday than a TLC special. This tradition probably dates back to our first family Christmas. Our son was only two weeks old and I had invited my German in-laws over for a traditional American Christmas dinner. Any reasonable person would have realized that two weeks post-partum probably was not the time to put together a holiday celebration for their in-laws. I, however, suffer from chronic ‘hallmark-itis’. This affliction...

The snow is gently falling outside of the frosted windows. The Christmas music is playing softly in the background and you are sitting by the rolling fire drinking hot chocolate and making homemade quilts for your closest friends….or so the commercials go. Back here on planet earth, the rest of us are busily trying to prepare for another stressful season of holiday parties, gift giving and ‘call’. Instead of enjoying the festivities, each year many people succumb to feelings of depression...

80 hours a week. That leaves only 88 hours to live the rest of your life. Sleep – now that’s a big hit. 7 hours a night for 7 days a week? 49 hours just sleeping?? Now we’re down to 39 hours. Ouch. Maybe we can eliminate some of that. Personal hygiene: 1 hour x 7days= 7 hours. 32 hours left. 4 hours commuting time each week. 28 hours. How much of it should be spent reading? How much with the family? Forget physiology. These are the equations that are talked about in residency programs today....

I’ve been trying to figure out the whole Santa thing. He’s always described as such a happy guy. The twinkling eyes! All those toys! The shaking belly laugh! Do you really buy that? I mean this guy lives in the North Pole, right? And it’s Christmas all the time for him. I don’t think that would leave most people cheerful. After all, there doesn’t seem to be much in the winter season to inspire glee. The trees are barren, the sun is gone by late afternoon and everyone is stressed-out, overscheduled...

I’ve been told that I talk faster than most people can listen. It’s even been suggested that my cartoon ‘alter ego’ is the Tasmanian Devil. Like Taz, I can be almost frenzied in my activity when I am ‘crazy busy’…a state I put myself in on a regular basis. Honestly, this flurry of activity has always felt quite comfortable to me. I enjoy the hectic pace. My energy level has served me well through years of my husband’s residency training, raising small children and g...

As we prepare for my husband to finish residency and move on to fellowship, I am trying to soak up every last memory that I can.? I find myself wanting to memorize the landscape. I relish the conversations with friends and have bought more in the last two weeks (when I am trying to get rid of stuff to move) than I have in three years. Saying goodbye to friends leaves me choking back unexpected tears. Nostalgia is winning. What a paradox, when you consider how miserable I was my first year her...