How I Combat My Physician Burnout

I recently finished a great book titled Rest. In it, the author discusses some excellent points on recharging your mind and body. He provides excellent data and studies to support his points. I think many points in this book may be used to combat fatigue and physician burnout.

Go for a walk. Get out in nature and some fresh air. Enjoy the sunshine. Take walks daily and walk at your own pace. Avoid any distractions. That means no iPods, music, podcasts, or other things to distract you. Approach the walk, not as an exercise thing you must do but as a break for your mind. If we approach it as a physical activity, we might be tempted to bring along some of our work. That’s not the point of the walk. Instead, the point is to let your mind wander and recharge. Just walk and let your mind wander. We actually can renew our minds, bodies, and spirits by not focusing and letting our minds wander. It will be challenging at first not to bring some work along for the walk, but after a few times, you’ll notice the refreshing feeling as your mind begins to recharge.

Take a nap. I admit this one sounds hard to do in our busy clinical lives. I don’t do this one as often as I probably should. It’s likely because my day is scheduled from 6 AM to 6 PM. But when I’m non-clinical or at home, I do find myself feeling some sleep pressure in the early afternoon. A quick cat nap seems to recharge my batteries for the remainder of the day. Napping also has proven, scientific benefits. If I cannot nap, I do go for a brisk walk.

Exercise regularly. This is different from walking. Regular strenuous physical exercise not only has physician and cardiac effect but mental ones as well. Regular exercise has been shown to help creativity and mental ability. It’s theorized that regularly rigorous physical activity helps the brain by conditioning the body to extract oxygen more efficiently. In theory, this allows more blood to flow to the brain which helps with it’s higher level functions.

Have quality sleep. The importance of sleep has been known for decades. A lot happens when we sleep, and our brains repair during sleep. This is when our astrocytes get to work and clean house. New connections are made and reinforced. When we are deprived of sleep, these cells of the brain cannot get to work and remove and repair cells in the brain. He provides an interesting study looking at the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain in two different populations - those who sleep and those who don’t.

Work in bursts and take breaks. When I write, I use the Pomodoro method of working. I write for twenty minutes and then take a five-minute break. During my break, I get up, brew another cup of coffee, and shift my brain to another short task. When the times sounds at twenty minutes, I stop even if I’m mid-sentence. I stop and take a break. When I come back, it’s easy to pick back up where I left off. After studying my productivity, I’ve discovered I’m more productive this way than if I sat and wrote for three hours straight. Taking planned breaks will allow you to refocus yourself. Your subconscious mind will continue to work on the task.

Find something you enjoy and play. Hobbies are great for allowing you to shift gears and focus on something relaxing and fun. For me, it’s flying. Some enjoy participating in sports such as tennis or gold. Others prefer to paint, play an instrument, or use another creative outlet. No matter what your voice is, chose a fun way to release stress.

Get away from it all. Take a nice long relaxing vacation. If you can’t get away for a week or so, pick a day or two. Some people leave everything for a short period. They leave their family, work, friends, and just isolate themselves for a while. There are days when my children are fighting that this sounds like a great idea. But most days I settle for a bike ride in the country — no cell phone, emails, or texts to bother me. The most important point is to be able to unplug from life, if even for a little bit. Removing yourself from the distractions will help you regain focus and recharge.

If you’re interested in learning more, I suggest you pick up Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. I don’t know him, nor do I receive anything should you buy his book. Well, I guess I do have the satisfaction that hopefully, I’ve helped you learn how to rest.