How daunting is it to ask your preceptor or professor for a letter of recommendation (LOR)? For myself, it was the most dreaded part I slowly waited towards the end of my rotation for. I have always suffered from self-doubt and insecurities regarding whether my mentor would really want to write me a letter. Well, after several pages of journaling self-affirmations later, I mastered the art of asking people for favors, and that included a LOR.

It’s natural to have a bad day at work or feel overloaded by all your responsibilities. It’s even natural to get stressed out and overwhelmed from time to time. What’s not natural is for these bad days and stress to be a constant in your life. In that case, you may already be suffering from full-blown burnout, which will invariably leave you feeling isolated and disengaged, as well as hopeless and unmotivated.