It’s been one of those weeks. I started a new service on inpatient medicine floors at the VA which means carrying out an extensive list of tasks on a regular basis. Some of these include adjusting to a new EMR, dealing with conditions, making discharges happen, updating families, making difficult decisions, having goals of care conversations, making time for learning/reading, and the list goes on. All of this needs to be done while learning everything possible about a whole new set of complex patients with unique needs as well as continuously admitting more.
One must always be cognizant of becoming too overwhelmed and burning out. We know that the prevalence of burnout in residency can range from 27%–75%, depending on the specialty. Because of this, being mindful of your stress and health is extremely important.
How am I managing it?
💦 Morning showers, I find this helps me wake up and is a refreshing start to my day even if it means I have to be up earlier between 5-5:30am.
☕️ Coffee every morning, but nothing past mid-afternoon so that it doesn’t keep me up at night.
📝 Checklists to keep my organized and check boxes because making a ✅ in one of my boxes gives me satisfaction and reminds me that I am getting things done.
🏋🏻♀️ Working out for at least 10-15 mins (in addition to all the steps I get in at the hospital). Whether it’s an ab workout video, weights, or yoga, this is my time to clear my mind and decompress.
🧠 Focusing on being the best I can be in the present, staying positive, and having gratitude for everyone and everything in my life.
😴 Getting to bed on time so that my mind is at its sharpest the next day. Shout out to my fiancé who is always reminding me of the importance of being well rested.
Being Mindful of BOTH Body and Mind
Throughout my journey in medicine I have realized that when I take care of my body, my mind feels nourished and vice versa. As an intern, life is busy so I’m doing my best to combat feeling tired and foggy by taking care of BOTH my mind and body.
What do you do to take care of your mind and body?
Hope everyone is having a great February ✨
Great article Preetha!