Online Therapy for Physician Burnout: Rest and Recovery
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” You’ll be in your grave earlier if you don’t learn how to rest and recover. Being on 24/7 365 isn’t a joke. I know many physicians who pride themselves in never having to take a sick day. They have a temp of 102 degrees and they show up. Yet they tell their patients to take it easy when they have a temp that high. In this blog, I’ll talk about why rest and recovery are necessary.
I’m you’re anything like me, rest and recovery is a foreign idea. You’ve learned at an early age to push and push to achieve and succeed. I’m here to tell you that you’ve got the formula wrong. It’s incomplete. Nothing is going on all day, every day. There are periods of going hard and then there are periods of rest and relaxation. Rest and relaxation are essential for long-term success and life. It’s part of the formula. Rest and relaxation are also skills that can be learned.
Rest and Recovery for Physician Burnout
Rest and recovery is a skill. It's a skill that if you've achieved a lot, you may not have realized is necessary. When you are young and full of energy, it feels as though you don’t need to rest and recover. This is because you are young and have endless amounts of energy to burn. As you age, rest and recovery become more apparent. You don’t have as much energy to burn. You don’t bounce back as fast from those long days and nights. Learning how to rest and recover is a learned skill that takes time and practice to master.
If you don’t rest, there’s a huge risk to your emotional well-being. Refusing to rest and recover can lead to irritability, feelings of being overwhelmed, depression, and anxiety. It can be difficult to cope with life stressors. It can be hard to concentrate and you might start to make medical errors.
When your emotional well-being is off, there’s a chance that your relationships are going to suffer. At work, you may have a short temper with your co-workers. The smallest little issue can set you off. At home, you may have a short temper with your family and kids. When you are not rested and your emotional well-being is off, being nice to people is not a top priority. A top priority is being able to get through the shift, at any cost. I wrote a blog about this here. When you don't rest and recover, your relationships are at risk.
We need to schedule our rest and recovery. I know many of you have social calendars filled to the brim because you don’t want to miss out on anything. FOMO anyone? Schedule your rest and recovery. Schedule your next vacation. And I'm talking about a real vacation. Not a vacation that is connected to a work conference. As for what to schedule for the rest and recovery, this is a personal choice.
Rest and Recovery Activities for Physician Burnout
There are activities that you do that fill your cup to the brim. There’s a whole list of activities that you may enjoy but only a few actually recharge you. For me, spending time with my friends and family recharges me. Also, playing tennis is an activity that I love and brings me tons of joy. Other people may enjoy curling up in bed and reading a book. For others, this may mean going for a hike. This may also include taking a nap or going to bed several hours earlier. Think about your happy place. Go there. Do that thing. This is necessary for your mental health.
Rest and recovery is a learned skill. It’s not your fault if you weren’t taught the full formula. It is your fault if you choose not to follow it now.
Reach out for Therapy for Physician Burnout
Address your physician burnout with therapy with Chris Rabanera. Take the first steps with a free 15-minute consultation. I provide online therapy in California, online therapy in Michigan, online therapy in Nebraska, and online therapy in Las Vegas. As an experienced therapist, I specialize in physician burnout, grief counseling, anxiety, and depression. I also provide mental health treatment for men.
