Physician Burnout: How to Prepare for Therapy

My goal for each client is to work together for a brief amount of time and then have my client move on with their life. In terms of length, I'm talking months to a year versus multiple years. To set my clients up for success, I start by laying the foundation. Here are four tips for laying a solid foundation you can do before starting therapy.

4 Tips to Prepare for Therapy

Visit Your Primary Care Doctor

I can't tell you how many clients I meet with who haven’t seen a doctor in years. I can count, on one hand, how many clients have seen a doctor in the last year prior to meeting with me. I always ask clients who their doctor is and if they have seen them in the last year. The reasons why I recommend clients have an annual visit with their primary care provider is because physical health issues can play a role in mental health issues. Health issues such as diabetes, underactive thyroid, Alzheimer's disease, sleep apnea, and chronic fatigue syndrome can be misdiagnosed as mental health issues. Clinically speaking, we need to make sure physical health issues aren't what's causing the mental health issue. Also, your doctor helps take care of your overall health. When I talk about health I mean physical health as well as mental health.  

Get Sleep

Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep. The exact number depends based on each person's needs. Not getting enough sleep can cause lots of issues. Is the lack of sleep a physical health issue caused by sleep apnea, or is the lack of sleep caused by depression or a mental health issue. If you are able to get your sleep regulated and on a regular schedule, this can help your mental health. There are tons of articles about sleep health and sleep hygiene. Tips for sleep hygiene include a sleep routine, limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption, limiting tobacco consumption, limiting blue lights, and sleeping in a pitch-black room. You'll be surprised how much better you feel after a good night's sleep. You'll also be surprised how worse you feel after not getting good sleep for several nights in a row. Getting sleep will help you with your mental health.

30 Minutes of Movement per Day

I'm talking about exercise movement every single day, preferably in the sunlight. I'm talking about getting your heart rate going. This could be as easy as going for 10-minute walks after every meal. If you're a gym buff and like to lift, that would mean getting 30 minutes of lifting in every day. Research has shown daily movement may improve mood. Getting 30 minutes of movement per day can be an easily achievable win for the day. This doesn't need to be high-intensity interval training or running. These should be activities you enjoy doing. It could be yoga, walks, going for a bike ride, or being on the elliptical. It's all up to you. Daily movement may help improve your mental health.

Eat Healthy and Regularly

This tends to be more difficult for my clients as many don't eat on a regular basis. They may or may not eat breakfast. They work through lunch and skip eating. Most will eat dinner. Many of my clients are workaholics so their eating nutrition is all over the place. Getting enough calories for you to perform is essential for physical and mental health.

These are four tips to help people get the most out of therapy because this is a solid foundation to help you think clearly. I always review these areas with my clients during their first few visits.  Everyone needs to see their primary care provider on an annual basis, at the minimum. If you could get your sleep right, have regular movement, and your nutrition on track, you will have a solid foundation to work on your mental health. If any of these are off, you may not be setting yourself up for success.

Get Online Therapy For Physician Burnout

When you want to work on your physician burnout, get online therapy.  Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation.  I’m Chris Rabanera. I provide online therapy in California, online therapy in Michigan, and online therapy in Las Vegas. I work with issues such as physician burnout, anxiety, depression, therapy for men and grief counseling.