Cures For Burnout

Burnout seems to be growing among all healthcare providers, with physicians from every specialty experiencing it. I don’t know if burnout is on the rise, or we are better at detecting it and more open about discussing it. Perhaps the younger generations haven’t bought into the myth of the infallible physician and are now speaking up. In comparison, the older generations just accepted the pressure and abuse as part of the career. Burnout isn’t something that occurs overnight. Instead, it is insidious and quietly progressive, like hypertension or diabetes.

 Many have suggested having hobbies and interests outside of medicine helps reduce burnout. One of my passions is flying, and I have noticed a few lessons that pertain to dealing with physician burnout. During my training as a pilot, I learned how to recover from unusual attitudes in the airplane. These would be either a nose-high or nose-low attitude, both of which can end very badly for you if action isn’t taken. The unusual attitude must be recognized and corrected immediately. Otherwise, loss of control of the airplane will occur when you stall out from a nose-high attitude or smashing into the ground from a nose-low attitude. I think it’s entirely appropriate that attitude is used in both flying and burnout.

Of the unusual attitudes, the most dangerous is a nose-low attitude, which means you’re racing to the ground without the intent to land in a controlled manner. If not corrected, you’ll end up a smoldering hole in the ground. The key to saving your life is recognizing your attitude.

Once you recognize your predicament in flight, the first thing to do is get your wings level, pull back the throttle, and pull the nose up. Leveling the wings allows the airframe to sustain the stress of bringing the nose up out of the dive. Pulling back the throttle helps slow your race to the ground. Gently raising the nose to stops your descent, helps you get your bearings, and then allows you to focus on climbing again.

Burnout is very similar. Once you’ve recognized you’re tired, exhausted, and burned out, take action. Get your wings level by evaluating and cutting back on your obligations and duties. You want to relieve the stress you feel as you attempt to stop your descent. Often, our duties are self-imposed because we want to save the world. We cannot. Sometimes we must say, “No.”

Next, pull back on your throttle. When you’re racing to the ground, back off the throttle and allow yourself to slow down. This might be self-care time, family time, golfing, hobbies, etc. It might be that you don’t accept as many consults or see as many patients for a while. It is essential to slow down, so you don’t have unnecessary stress on yourself.

Finally, pull your head up. In martial arts, there’s a saying, “The body goes where the head goes.” If you’re looking and feeling down, you’ll continue to go down. Instead, lift your gaze. You don’t have to look up, simply focus on the horizon, and get your bearings. One way to do this is to focus on the reasons you went to medical school - the reason you treat patients. Lifting your gaze will help you from crashing into the ground and being a fatality of burn out.

Some things you can do to adjust your unusual attitude of burnout include the following:

• Remind yourself of your real purpose every day. Keep a reminder of not only your practice’s mission and purpose but your personal one as well. It might be why you choose your profession. The important thing to remember is the benefit you have on others - your patients and staff.
• Ask lots of questions. Don’t be afraid to question the status quo - it might just be contributing to your burnout. Do you really need to attend all of those meetings? Why does the paperwork really need to be completed? Is there another person you could have help with some of your duties? Do what you can to level your wings.
• Don’t equate your work and work environment to your personal value. Sometimes toxic environments exist in healthcare. It’s sad but quite true. Realize your worth as a person does not equal what you do and where you do it. You’re more than that.
• Don’t sacrifice home-life for work-life. If you find yourself losing touch with your children, spouse, siblings, parents, and friends, it’s best to call a time-out at work and direct some energy and time towards these relationships. Remember, when you retire, these are the people you’ll be spending time with, not those folks at the clinic or hospital.
• Control what you can, but first recognize what you can control. Try not to worry about what you cannot control. Focus on controlling what you can and do your best. Letting go of those things you cannot control can be liberating and help relieve some stress.
• Get a support group or mentor to help you work through your feelings and emotions. Sometimes it’s hard to talk with friends and family about our burnout. That’s okay, but do find someone who you can confide in and help you through it.
• Schedule and keep some “you” time. Whether that is time by yourself or with loved ones, keep those appointments. This is part of pulling back the throttle. It’s a must.

These are just a few things you can do to help fight your burnout. Remember, reduce your stress, slow down, and look up. Perhaps, the most important thing to do is get help by finding someone you can confide in and support you as you adjust your unusual attitude and get to soaring again.

Connect with me at www.davidnorrismdmba.com.