Becoming a dietitian involves completing a yearlong dietetic internship where you spend the year working in hospitals, outpatient settings, large scale kitchens, and food banks gaining as much experience as possible before you take your RD exam. This year, April 12th was match day, a.k.a. the most stressful day for any dietetic student in the country since we all have to wait until 6 pm CST to log on to a website (that is prone to crashing) and find out if we were matched to 1 of the many internships we applied to (the match rate is about 50%, so there is also a good chance that you log in to find there is no match at all). Are you confused yet?
Because I am prone to worrying, I was determined to occupy myself on April 12th with fun activities with good friends, and practicing breathing exercises (no seriously, deep breathing, it works). And no matter what was going to happen, I wanted to use Match day as a way to celebrate all the hard work that dietetic students need to put in to become a competitive applicant for match.
Here are some of the things you can do to reward yourself that don’t involve food:
- Find a fun activity that you love, and do it! My girlfriends and I LOVE to paint pottery. Seriously, it is amazing. There is a great place in Cleveland Heights were we go to paint ALL the time. You go, pick a piece and paint it however you want. Everyone is so helpful, and they fire it for you and you can go back and pick it up! Arts and crafts are a great way to reward yourself and express your creativity.
- Spa Day. After we spent the morning painting, our match day adventures took us to a local nail salon, were we treated ourselves with pedicures. Talk about relaxing, and I didn’t even think about match once! (Okay total lie, I was thinking about it the whole time, but the foot massage definitely helped me feel less stressed about it).
- Guilty Pleasure TV Show. Have you ever had that TV show that is so addictive, and you probably watch it way more than you should? Well, we don’t have a show, we have a whole channel, and that is Investigation Discovery! Have you ever watched crime reenactment shows? I think you should try it. It is just enough to scare the living bejeezuz out of you, and keep you completely engaged. As the time approached for me to log in, I kept myself maximally distracted before I headed to dinner and drinks with friends to hopefully celebrate a successful match.
Think about what you like to do! Have you wanted to take a class? Maybe you have a hobby like photography, and you’ve been eyeing a new piece of equipment for it? Whatever it maybe, planning in advanced can help on a stressful day! For me, I am happy to announce that I was matched, and am one step closer to becoming a dietitian!
What are your favorite ways to reward yourself that don’t involve food? Let us know!
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Whether you are a novice in the kitchen, or a seasoned chef, Dietitian Klara will work with you to help you reach your nutrition goals. Co-author of Nourished: 10 Ingredients to Happy, Healthy Eating, Cooking with Diabetes and Cooking with Food Sensitivities Guide.
