MAY 2019 |
VOL 2 ISSUE 9

In this issue:
  • 2019 Spring Day of Service
  • Article: Imposter Syndrome
  • Houston Happenings
  • MS4 Advice
  • Reset a Bad Day
  • SPOTlight
  • Spring Cleaning
  • TAO
  • Tasty Recipes
The Well is a monthly newsletter that serves to
positively impact the well-being of the McGovern student community
by highlighting a myriad of wellness-related content.
2019 Spring Day of Service
Watch members of the #McGovernFam serving at Hermann Park. Click here for more Day of Service pics.
Spring Cleaning
Spring is in the air, y’all! As this academic year comes to a close, new beginnings are on the horizon for each and every one of us. We will assume new roles in the coming year with new responsibilities, new opportunities, and new goals. In a way, as students, we are afforded a second “new year’s day,” a second time of year dedicated to fresh starts. Let’s take this opportunity to declutter our lives of things that may limit our potential. Let’s renew our focus. Let’s spring-clean our lives!! Below are 5 tips to jump-start the process.

  • Clean up your relationships: while we don’t advocate verbally unfriending people, you know who is in your core group of friends and family. Prioritize those people. Deepen those bonds. These relationships will fulfill you when times in the coming year get tough, so invest in them now!
  • Clean out your closet: do you own too many shoes (if that’s even possible...debatable)? clothes that don’t fit or flatter? Give some things away! Not only will it boost your confidence to see yourself in well-fitting, flattering clothing, but donating clothing items is a huge help to those less fortunate.
  • Clean up your schedule: block off days for yourself. Respecting your own time is a valuable lesson not often promoted in medical school, but you cannot be well if you don’t take care of you. Spend some time with your SO, best friend, mom, favorite author, softest sheets, who or what clears your mind and keeps you centered.
  • Clean off your coffee table: most medical students have reminders of school strewn about their living room and bedroom. So where do you go to relax? Designate one part of your apartment or house that is going to be just for you - to sleep, to watch tv, to eat, to workout. Whatever you want to do in this space, go for it! Move all of your school supplies out of this area, and let yourself have a little bit of a “life” outside of medical school.
  • Clean up your inbox: un. sub. scribe. Do it! Sit down, and go through your emails. Don’t need it? Don’t want it? Don’t read it? Get rid of it! (It’s like the opposite of Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.”) Truly, how overwhelming is it to wake up to 10 new emails, of which you might only care about a few? In the medical field, we don’t have time for that kind of clutter in our lives!
Reset a Bad Day...Fast!
  • Get outside. A few moments in the midst of nature can be a mood booster. Plus, creating some distance from you and whatever is making your day not awesome is a bonus.
  • Create a winning game plan. Create a productive plan for the remainder of your day that sets you up for success.
  • Treat yourself. Indulge in a bit of self-care by treating yourself to an upgraded specialty coffee/tea, a luxury sweet/salty delight, or well-deserved "me time" in the form of meditation or otherwise.
  • Engage in kindness/gratitude. Even a small act of random kindness can turn around your day. Similarly, taking a moment to think about something you are grateful for can instantly provide new perspective.
  • Connect with your support system. Call mom/dad/bestie. A mini-vent session followed by words of comfort can help give us the nudge to redirect the day.
MS4 Advice
One of the big ways I maintain wellness is to practice empathy to understand my patients. We are taught in first and second year that telling a patient ‘I'm sorry, that must be hard for you’ is how you show you care. However, empathy is not only what you say to a patient, it's also how you view them and understand their decisions. And, if used effectively, it can be key to maintaining wellness.

We often hear others or even ourselves complaining that a patient is not making the right decision or they did not take their medications as indicated. These thoughts harbor resentment towards patients, and being angry about their actions takes away from our productivity and fuels burn out. As a medical student, we don't have the same responsibilities residents or attendings have, so this is an excellent time to practice empathy. The next time you have a patient who isn't making decisions you agree with, remind yourself they have not gone to medical school and may not know what you know. Remind yourself they have their own history and their own experiences that shape how they approach decision-making. Try to understand what having their particular disease might feel like and the stress of what comes with it. Then translate that understanding to what you say to the patient, using phrases like ‘I'm sure this must be very stressful for you. Can you tell me more about how you came to this decision?’ The more you exercise your empathy muscle, the easier it will be to understand your patients and not get bogged down with anger about their decision-making.

| Alissa Chen, MS4
 SPOTlight | Houston Outdoors
  • Cypress Trails | multi-million equine facilities are available to the public seven days a week and provide a tranquil escape from the bustle of the city.
  • Discovery Green | downtown Houston's premiere park with fun-filled events like free workouts, farmer's markets, concerts, and kayak/paddle-board rentals.
  • Hermann Park | 445-acre urban park that includes trails, pedal boats, and golfing - notably Bayou Parkland, Hawkins Sculpture Walk, & Houston Zoo.
  • Memorial Park | one of the largest urban parks in the United States featuring multiple trails, golf course, swimming pool, sports venues, and more.
  • Waugh Drive Bat Colony | an ecological treasure in the middle of Houston that hosts an unusual bat colony. View the website before visiting to learn about bat viewing etiquette.
Tasty Summer Recipes
Houston Happenings


05.02: Bob Seger, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
05.04: 2019 Houston Texans Play Safe Clinic,
Freedom Field, 10855 Iowa Colony BLVD, Rosharon TX 77583
05.04: Taste of Memorial City Food and Wine Festival,
Nexen Tower Garage
05.04: Houston Dragon Boat Festival,
Downtown Houston, Allen’s Landing
05.05: 4 th Annual Cinco de Mayo Pub Crawl, The Dogwood
05.05-06: Elle King, White Oak Music Hall
05.09: Lauryn Hill, Smart Financial Center
05.10-11: Violent Femmes, House of Blues
05.10-12: Comicpalooza 2019, George R. Brown Convention Center
05.11: AsiaFest 2019, Asia Society Texas Center
05.13: Dave Matthews Band, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
05.15: New Kids on the Block, Toyota Center
05.16-19: Houston Greek Fest, St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church
05.17-18: India Arie, Smart Financial Center
05.17-19: Pasadena Strawberry Festival,
7603 Red Bluff Rd., Pasadena, TX 77507
05.18-19: ZZ Top, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
05.19: Ariana Grande: Sweetener World Tour, Toyota Center Tours
05.19: Carry the Load Houston, Combined Arms
05.30-31: Jamey Johnson, House of Blues
06.01: Jimmy Buffet, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
06.01-02: Jesse James Decker, House of Blues
06.14: Hootie and the Blowfish, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
06.21: Twenty One Pilots, Toyota Center
06.22: Pride Houston, Downtown Houston
06.25: Jennifer Lopez, Toyota Center
06.27-28: Luis Miguel, Toyota Center
06.29-30: Thomas Rhett, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07.03-04: Chicago, Smart Financial Center
07.04: ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights: Star Spangled Salute,
Miller Outdoor Theatre
07.07-08: Santana, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07.14: Lone Star Bash, Minute Maid Park
07.18: Khalid, Toyota Center
07.24: Queen & Adam Lambert, Toyota Center
07.25: Shawn Mendes, Toyota Center
08.02: Carly Rae Jepsen, House of Blues
08.02: Mary J Blige and Nas, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
08.14-15: Lyle Lovett, Smart Financial Center
08.23-24: Nelly with TLC and Flo Rida,
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
08.24: 33 rd Annual AIA Sandcastle Competition,
East Beach, Galveston, TX 77550
08.24: The B-52's, Smart Financial Center
08.29: Rascal Flatts, Smart Financial Center
08.30-31: Carlos Rivera, Arena Theater
08.31: Backstreet Boys, Toyota Center
Feeling like you don't belong?
Click here for a recent article on imposter syndrome.
TAO | Therapy Assistance Online
The Student Health and Counseling Clinic is excited to announce a new wellness tool available to all students, faculty, and staff at UTH.  TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) is an interactive, self-guided, web-based program that consists of tools and educational materials to help you learn about and change how you think and feel. 
Brought to you by the McGovern Student Wellness & Resilience Committee
Newsletter Staff: Andrew Eck, Ally Limmer, Joaquin Santoy
Questions, Comments, or Contributions to The Well,
please email MS.Wellness@uth.tmc.edu