Pursuing simplicity in work, home, community, and self
The surgery resident was seeing stars as she sutured the wound. "I need a chair," she whispered, slowly sitting back into the air behind her (where no chair currently existed). The nurse caught her, and I ran over. "I'm just not feeling well. I threw up earlier this morning." I gave her an …
You Never Hear Doctors Say, "I Can’t Come In Today, I’m Sick."Read More
What does it mean to be a professional? And how do we maintain our professionalism at a time when things such as stress, burnout, and caregiver fatigue can degrade our motivation? In medical school, you learn early that one of the best ways to remember important information is to attach an …
In his book Is It Worth Dying For?, Robert Eliot describes his experiences with stress, culminating in his own heart attack on the job. He identifies five stages on the downward spiral to burnout: Job Contentment, Fuel Shortage, Chronic Symptoms, Crisis, and Hitting the Wall. Here, I continue …
Before I continue with my own personal navigation toward balance, I want to define some terms and alert you to the potential problems that unmanaged stress may cause. "Stress is the spice of life; complete freedom from stress only comes in death." - Hans Selye, MD This quote from the …
