I can never pinpoint what it is about medical dramas that I, and countless others, find so interesting. Maybe there is a macabre fascination with watching doctors continuously diagnose people with the world’s worst diseases. Perhaps it’s the compelling competency with which doctors go about their work: clinical and precise. Maybe it’s the unearthing of the complexities of hospital administration and their sometimes underlying cruelty. It’s probably all of that.
I’ve watched most medical dramas with an aloof detachment. I find them interesting, but I don’t give too much space to those stories for fear of attracting those vibes; with medical dramas, there will always be elements of melancholy and heartache. I keep discovering newer vulnerabilities of our minds and bodies. The dramas are at once a source of knowledge and then just too much.
“Daily Dose of Sunshine,” though, is one Korean medical drama that will stay with me for a long time. I began watching it for all the above reasons. It promised the premise of a kind-hearted nurse overcoming the many obstacles while working in a psychiatry clinic.
While there is so much to say about this fantastic show, here, in brief, are the most valuable takeaways:
1. When Life tells you to slow down – Listen
Our minds have found a way to revolt because, as a species, we keep rejecting our most profound learning: Life isn’t a race. There are more than 2 stories in this drama that highlight the consequences of not listening to our bodies all to reach a manmade hilltop of success. This fervent pace of living reaches a point where the mind itself carves out a path of escape. They then show up as illness.
Watching the story of a busy working mom who starts to develop selective amnesia, putting at peril the happiness of the very person she’s working so hard for; her daughter. Never underestimate the power of our mind over us. It will snatch the reins out of our hands if we keep ignoring its warnings. Life isn’t slow or fast – time is a concept we’ve shackled ourselves to, often at the cost of our health. So, live life looking out for those speed limits.
2. There is no expiration date on grief
The clock will keep on ticking, the calendar will change pages. Let them. They are not instruments to measure the depth of one’s grief and how long it takes for us to swim out of it. Time is the best medicine. That’s what our protagonist has to hold onto after the grief of a patient’s suicide overtakes her. She is advised to maintain a regular routine. She is promised that it gets better. She becomes eager to get past it so she can continue her daily life.
And while it’s sound advice, we see that she never allows herself the time to grieve, setting a limit of one month to get over her sorrow. She aims to desensitize herself, leading to further isolation of her emotions. She later learns the importance of mourning. The natural emotion to grieve for those we care and love. And more so it is a symbol of respect for those gone and ourselves.
3. The optimist also gets sad
The main character is a bright and helpful nurse. She goes out of her way to give people warmth and comfort. Her empathetic nature assures she will always carry the lion’s share of work. While most recognize her sunny outlook, they know it can at times be a fragile disposition to maintain in this harsh world. Our nurse, though, doesn’t see it, and refuses to admit the toll that always being the brightest light can take.
It is an emotional scene when she finally has her breakdown; it doesn’t magically get better. The catharsis comes from the quiet realization of her depression. Of her not showing herself the grace she shows others. The lesson is in not taking anything and anyone for granted. Of being self-aware. Of drawing boundaries.
4. Picking yourself up doesn’t have to be a solo endeavor
The hardest part of our journeys will always be about getting back up time and again. And while it seems like we have to do everything by ourselves, this drama is a reminder that it doesn’t have to be. We will learn to prioritize ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we forget our friends and family. It will take courage to reach for help, but just as our MC found out, the ones who care are only waiting for us to ask. Recognize the ones who are present and go for it.
5. Everyone is standing on a border
Everyone is standing on the edge of choices. One character stands on the border between work anxiety and the stability the job offers, the other between pursuing happiness and what seems practical. Our MC between moments of depression and moments of pure joy.
We are not always born with the power to be bold; sometimes we have to learn it. Sometimes that learning involves losing our minds, having breakdowns, giving up, and escaping for a moment. What matters is that during that journey, we find instances that become our daily dose of sunshine. It doesn’t have to be big or small. It just needs to cheer us up to show up the next day and the day after, and after… in doing so, we will find the courage to be bold and cross to the better side of our drawn borders.
Final Thoughts
“Daily Dose of Sunshine” is a drama that accurately presents the difficulties of modern living and its impact on our mental health. While mental health conversations have become mainstream, there is still so much work to do in putting good practices in our places of work and society and support in families. This drama shows us the way. There is something here for everyone. You will feel seen, heard, and relate to the characters and the conclusions they reach in their stories, offering us a chance to be still and do so in our own lives.
“Daily Dose of Sunshine” is a 12-episode Korean drama based on a webtoon of the same name. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
SoulStuff 