A day in the life of a physician can be tiring. Seeing 20, 30 or more patients in a day is draining.
So where are the rewards in medicine?
The rewards in medicine are found when you align your energy with your purpose, your life calling, and know that medicine is the vehicle by which you express your calling.
The reality is that the hours are long. The reality is that patients need you. Patients need your knowledge and expertise. They want your kindness and compassion.
But when physicians lack the life skills and daily practices to rest and restore our energy, we feel drained. By the end of the day we’re physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted.
In this energy we get derailed and become detached from our life calling. You ask yourself, “How did I get here?” or think, “It wasn’t supposed to be this way”. You don’t feel appreciated and may even struggle to understand the value you bring to medicine.
Medical school and residency training didn’t highlight the importance of managing our energy. We didn’t learn how to use daily practices to promote our well-being each and every day.
When you employ daily practices to reconnect to your soul on a consistent basis that’s when your life and career flow.
When the stress shows up you know exactly what to do to recognize it and release it.
The daily practice of R.E.S.T. provides 4 steps to promote your well-being in the midst of the clinical setting.
- Recover physically. Do you need to hydrate and nourish yourself? Do you need a moment in silence to reconnect to your purpose?
- Expand your vision. Are you absorbing the energy of the patients or team members? What is the healing energy that you want to hold? How is the current view of the situation limiting your ability to see the bigger picture?
- Stay focused on grace, gentleness, and gratitude.
- Trust that all is well. Know that you can ask for support and receive it.
These 4 steps physician clients and I use to transform highly charged situations into teaching moments, lessons learned, and team building. With time it becomes part of your practice and you automatically recognize when you need Moments to R.E.S.T.
Use this practice anytime you need to rejuvenate and reset your energy. Maybe it’s after a particularly challenging patient encounter. Maybe it’s as you leave an administrative meeting. Maybe it’s after your commute to work to set the stage for your day.
When you rest and reset your energy, answers flow.
You see the exact right approach for patient care.
You recognize the best strategies to engage your team- and it’s not yelling at them.
You come from your heart, knowing that you are on purpose.
You understand your value and your confidence soars.
