Ahhanzan Zou Doh Ahvasi Part 2: What It Means to Live Well

If you're new here, there is a phrase in Kadazan that I return to often: Ahhanzan zou doh ahvasi.

Its closest translation is: “I hope you’re doing well” or “Let us live well.”

Because in seasons where we are becoming something new, it can feel like we are constantly falling short.

When “Well” Feels Out of Reach

Nursing school is not just academically demanding. It’s emotionally and mentally consuming in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’re in it. 

You are learning how to care for people at their most vulnerable.You are holding information that truly matters, especially for our future care.You are constantly being stretched and pushed to grow in ways you didn’t expect.

And at the same time, life doesn’t pause.

You still have relationships.

You still have expectations.

You still have days when you feel tired, unmotivated, or unsure of yourself.

There are moments where “living well” feels distant. Like something you’ll get to later, after the exam, after the semester, after everything settles down. Next thing you know, I’ve had an exam week after week after week, and it feels like I dropped off the face of the earth to my friends outside of nursing school, as it feels like there’s never time to speak.

But I’ve started to realize that if we keep waiting for life to calm down before we live well, we may never actually get there.

Living Well in the Middle of It

Ahhanzan zou doh ahvasi is not a phrase about perfection.

It’s not saying: live beautifully, effortlessly, or flawlessly.

It’s an invitation.

To live well, even here.

Even when your schedule is full.Even when you feel behind.Even when you don’t feel like your best self.

Living well in nursing school might look like:

• Taking a deep breath before walking into clinical

• Eating something nourishing instead of skipping meals to study

• Going on a short walk after studying all day

• Letting yourself take a break from studying without guilt

• Spending time with your friends

• Speaking to yourself with a little more kindness

These things seem small, but they are not insignificant. They are the foundation.

What It Means to Be “Well” to Me

Before this, I thought being “well” meant being balanced all the time. But nursing school has shown me that wellness is not about having everything together.

It’s about how you take care of yourself when things feel overwhelming.

It’s choosing to keep showing up.

It’s allowing yourself to be human.

It’s finding steadiness, even when life feels heavy.

Wellness is not a perfect routine; it’s a relationship with yourself.

The Kind of Nurse I Want to Be

This phrase also reminds me of the kind of nurse I want to become. I don't want to just be someone who knows the right answers. I want to be someone who understands what it feels like to struggle, to be overwhelmed, to not feel “well.”

Our patients don’t need perfect people.

They need present ones.

I want to be someone who can look at them and, in a way, say:

Ahhanzan zou doh ahvasi.

I see you. I hope you’re okay. I’m going to take care of you to the best of my ability. I’m here with you.

Let Us Live Well

Living well is not something we arrive at. It’s something we choose, over and over again, in small and quiet ways. So if you’re in a season that feels heavy, demanding, or uncertain, this is your reminder:

You don’t have to wait until everything is perfect to start living well.

You can begin here, whenever you want.

Ahhanzan zou doh ahvasi. Let us live well.

~ TN