our daily work offers us unique opportunities for rewards as directly caring for people who entrust us with their welfare is a very rewarding thing to be able to do. We are privileged to be able to offer care and comfort. We can make a difference to people's lives.
if you feel you are not being appreciated, follow up your patients by visiting the ward or phoning them - the amount of thanking you get may surprise you (and you may also learn some medicine!)
we are also privileged to be able to teach. There is reward out of contributing to anyone's learning, but particularly when contributing to the evolution of medical students, young doctors & nurses.
middle-term coping strategies:
identify the sources of stress in your life
yes, there are many stressors that are out of you control, but ensure look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses as these may affect how much stress or at least how you respond to the stressors impacts your life
to gain control of your stress level, you must first you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it
start a stress journal to identify stressors
replace unhealthy coping strategies with healthy ones
unhealthy coping strategies:
smoking, alcohol or substance use
withdrawing from friends, family and activities
bingeing on food
procrastination
zoning out for prolonged periods or sleeping too much
avoiding solving problems by creating constant busy activities
taking your stress out on others
healthy strategies:
focus on what makes you feel calm and in control
create a mental image of your happy place and go there for short periods when you do need time out
take control of your task list by addressing the important priorities - procrastinating and avoidance only increases the stress
exercise even if it is just regular walking listening to music
eat sensibly - reduce caffeine, alcohol and simple sugars
get enough sleep
communicate
instead of bottling anxieties up, express them, communicate your concerns and reduce your resentments
connect with others
face to face quality interactions with others who make you feel safe and understood are important mechanisms to reduce the fight-flight response of chronic stress
Epicurus recognised the importance of having a meal or drink with friends
join meetup groups or volunteer to help others
balance your life to offset the stressor's impacts
variety is the spice of life:
ED is a specialty that affords us unprecedented flexibility, consider doing something new, or work somewhere else
plan to change/evolve gracefully:
out of the flexibility we can make for ourselves comes the opportunity to evolve through various roles & indeed lifestyles.
get out of a rut if it has become a canyon
protect your away from work time
do not allow work or work emails to invade your home time - it is critical that everyone can have a time out to mentally recharge without having to be forced to think about work
take an extended time out
absence can make the heart grow fonder, so take leave allocations & even take leave without pay
reward yourself
do something you enjoy every day eg. play the piano, take photos, bushwalk, etc
try to keep your sense of humour - a good laugh is good for you
have another interest
distraction from your troubles at work can provide your life with another perspective & can regenerate the composure, confidence & enthusiasm needed to deal with the workplace more effectively
appreciate how fortunate you are
when you think life is tough, reflect on hardships of others less fortunate than yourselves. Those others are everywhere, but most immediately, they are on stretchers in your ED.
manage your time better
don't over commit - delegate where possible and appropriate - stop being a control freak!
prioritize tasks
break tasks into smaller tasks which then won't seem so overwhelming that you end up procrastinating
avoid unnecessary stressors
learn to say NO
avoid people who stress you out unnecessarily
take control of your environment
maintain control of the big picture of your life & maintain a balance
prioritise your to do list and remove unnecessary items or delegate them
alter the stressor
be prepared to compromise in conflicts
adapt to the stressor
reframe the issue in a more positive perspective
see the potential ahead
look at the big picture
will it matter in 1 month, in 1 year?
imagine the worst that can happen and then imagine how you could cope with that - we nearly always find a way to deal with even the worst outcomes, if we work at it
adjust your standards
perfectionism is psychologically crippling
stop setting yourself up for failure
set reasonable standards on yourself and others and avoid being overly judgmental - we are all human, and to err is human
learn that good enough is usually good enough
practice gratitude:
take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts
accept the things you can't change
don't try to control what you can't control:
the behaviour and thoughts of others
whether or not your plane will crash, or your family is in an accident
sometimes s$&t happens, and thus we need to make the most of each other in the present moment
when faced with such challenges look for ways you can learn from them
let go of anger and resentment and learn to forgive - forgiving others benefits YOU more than them!
share your feelings instead of bottling them up
long-term coping strategies:
re-train the way we think & live:
train to respond not with distress, but with a positive disposition, in which we can maintain a calm & stable outlook
identify & cultivate positive thinking (that which leads to happiness)
identify & eliminate negative thinking (that which prevents happiness)
replacing our negative conditioning, those bad habit responses of irritability, anger & frustration, with positive conditioning for tolerance & patience is a process of learning. Fortunately, our brains are adaptable & have 'plasticity'.
train to shift your perspective:
if we focus intensely on the problem when it occurs, it may appear uncontrollable, but if we compare the event to a greater event or look at the problem from a distance, then it appears smaller & less over-whelming & we can then see that something can be gained from experience - 'out of every crisis comes opportunity'
be aware of the basics of our value system:
difficulty is integral to life
one can find meaning in difficulties - they are challenges & opportunities
tolerance & patience are powerful tools
compassion is the key to peace of mind - compassion is caring without attachment
remember that learning is more effective with motivation, enthusiasm & a sense of urgency & bringing about enduring change takes sustained effort & is a gradual process