Preserving Hobbies

by Olivia T. Zhou

To me, the age-old adage of “you can’t pour from an empty cup” holds especially true today. Medicine is a deeply meaningful but often all-consuming career. The intensity of training, long hours, and emotional demands can easily displace relationships, hobbies, and interests that once brought joy and balance. Because of these challenges, maintaining a connection to a life outside of medicine is particularly essential. Hobbies can offer space for self-expression, stress relief, and identity beyond our professional roles as physicians.

Most of us know that participating in creative or physical activities can improve well-being, build resilience, and reduce burnout, but we often struggle with consistency and upkeep. However, even a modest investment can provide noticeable benefits. Here are some strategies that have helped me preserve my hobbies throughout my training so far:

• Schedule dedicated time: Blocking off regular time for a hobby, just like scheduling other responsibilities, can help ensure it remains a priority and actually gets completed. I schedule time for a weekly weekend walk with my sister to get exercise, unwind, and spend time with loved ones. 
• Keep materials visible and accessible: Putting instruments, art supplies, or athletic gear in sight and/or easily accessible areas serves as a physical reminder and motivator. I like to keep my knitting supplies and completed projects on a shelf, so they can serve as both decoration and as a reminder.
• Take advantage of short bursts of time: Even 10–15 minutes between tasks can be very  effective for short activities like journaling, sketching, or stretching. A five minute stretch routine helps me with both headaches and recentering during a busy day. 
• Find online communities around hobbies: Joining interest groups can promote a sense of accountability and connection, and online groups can be much more accessible and convenient than in-person commitments. I have joined gaming and DnD groups on Discord and made some life-long friends along the way!
• Integrate hobbies into routines: This could be listening to podcasts or music during commutes, meal-prepping creatively, or biking to work. Finding ways to combine a hobby and another activity that you have to do, can help maintain consistency. Personally, I love exploring new music on my commutes to and from work. 
• Minimize online time: It’s easy to sink any free time into the mindless task of scrolling through social media, but setting time limits for phone use can free up even a few minutes a day to be used for hobbies. I use the built in Apple screen time monitor, but there are countless apps that can track and limit your screen time. 

To me, the goal of hobbies is not perfection or productivity, but presence and preservation of self. Physicians and trainees often hold themselves to high standards in every domain, but hobbies should offer a space free from performance metrics. Valuing these activities as essential, rather than optional, can help us create more balanced, sustainable lives in medicine; one in which our personal identities can continue to evolve alongside our professional growth.

Olivia T. Zhou is a 4th year medical student at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine who is applying for orthopedic surgery residency in the upcoming match cycle. She serves as a member of the blog committee at AWS.