Being a physician isn’t just about having a job that helps you pay the bills and live a comfortable life. People rely on you to help cure their diseases, alleviate their condition and hopefully, improve their quality of life, and that’s a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.
This is why it’s not surprising that a recent online survey among doctors revealed a 42% physician burnout rate. Although this number has dropped from 46% five years ago, it still shows a significant number of physicians suffering from exhaustion and extreme stress.
Fortunately, there are ways to prevent physician burnout or deal with it before things get worse.
Get moving
You’ve been saying this to your patients, but it’s also one of the best things you can do for yourself. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce emotional exhaustion, lessen stress and anxiety, improve mood and promote a more positive sense of wellbeing.
If you don’t like to exercise alone, you can find a fellow physician as an exercise partner so you can keep each other motivated, especially when you’re exhausted.
Aside from going to the gym, you can also join dance classes, yoga, or Pilates, which are all beneficial to your mind and body.
Refill your emotional bank account
Sometimes, you focus so much on work that you forget that you also have a life to live. When you’re working late nights, you end up sleeping on your days off or just staying at home curled up on your couch. Maybe that’s also why you easily get burned out.
It’s important to refill your emotional bank account by making time for the people in your life. It could be your spouse, your children, your parents or your friends.
Spending time with people who know you most will allow your mind to escape work for a bit and get a better perspective of your life as a whole.
Invest in yourself
You may not have a lot of time in your hands, but you should never forget to make time for yourself. Allocate even just a few minutes of your time each day to relax and check-in with yourself. It could be writing in your journal or meditating in the morning, or enjoying a nice, long bath before you sleep.
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the most impact on your wellbeing to keep you from being burned out easily. You can also make the time to declutter so you’re not so stressed out by the chaos in your surroundings.
Being organized gives you a sense of comfort and peace knowing that you have control of most things. For instance, you can digitize some of your files so it’s easier to access them.
Seek professional help
Finally, it’s never wrong to seek professional help when you need it the most. As a doctor, you may feel the need to always be strong for your patients, but it’s completely okay to feel tired and exhausted at times.
If you feel that you’re constantly drained, you lack the motivation to work or if your exhaustion already affects the other aspects of your life, don’t be afraid to get help from a professional who can guide you towards recovery and healing. This way, you can get back on track and be there for your patients in no time.
References:
https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/290398/physician-burnout-3-signs-and-3-simple-prevention-steps