In our current healthcare system, feeling overwhelmed is common among physicians and a huge contributing factor to burnout. One of the main reasons physicians feel overwhelmed is that they have been trained to shoulder the majority of the responsibility, even in areas that are unrelated to patient care. During these times there are simple, positive ways to calm the overwhelm. In this article, we are going to offer up three helpful reminders all physicians can use when feeling overwhelmed.
Expect the Unexpected
Despite your best efforts, unexpected challenges are sure to crop up during the course of your day. Training yourself to expect the unexpected, and accept the unexpected, will help you better prepare for difficult situations when they arise.
Prioritize Your Time & Efforts
There is always more to be done! Our first one or two priorities usually get done but we cannot do it all! Keep doing a great job of managing the urgent and important tasks. However, moving down the list, how do you address non-urgent tasks? These usually create the most angst when neglected for too long, because they are often on our mind but frequently incomplete.
Which takes us to our third reminder.
Delegate & Rely on Staff
As physicians, many of us were taught to pick up the slack and do things ourselves. But this is a great way to welcome feelings of overwhelm, especially when we often don’t account for our lives outside of medicine. What tasks can YOU delegate and empower your staff with? That’s why they’re there, after all!
Calming the feeling of overwhelm by having simple strategies to process important tasks are both helpful.
What common circumstances are present when you start to feel overwhelmed?
What strategies have you used to gain control of the situation?
SurgeonMasters provides a supportive, nonjudgmental, and enriching environment for self-development. Here, practicing surgeons can evaluate their current practices, create short- and long-term goals, refine their focus and self-inquiry, manage stress and frustration, and develop strong relationships with their peers. Check out our vast array of wellness and burnout prevention resources.
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