We are currently in a series reviewing the top thought distortions physicians display. They are not unique to the medical field by any means, but these are the ones that often are uncovered in coaching. Being able to identify them clearly, makes it malleable so you can decrease the unnecessary stress they brings with them. Last week we looked at all-or-nothing thinking and should statements, and today we will look at two closely related thought errors – dismissing the positives and...

Last week, I introduced the most common thought error patterns in physicians. This week we will look at two prevalent distortions.

I'll start with one of the most easily recognizable cognitive distortions. 

The should (not) statement. "Shoulds" pretend to be motivating, but in reality, they add more burden to our mental load. 

They can be self-directed such as, "I should call that patient." Self-directed should-statements often lead to guilt, defeat,...

Piggybacking on the Optimizing Our Mindset as Physicians series, I’d like to bring to light some common thought distortions to which we are not immune. Dr. Ali Novitsky, my original and ongoing physician coach, and her husband, Dr. Mark Novitsky, a psychiatrist, were the first to introduce this concept at a conference I attended a few years back. 

I was aware that there were times I and those I worked with were wrong in our assumptions, but I didn’t have the framework...

This week we are rounding out the Action Needed for the Wellbeing of Medicine Series regarding physician wellness by addressing our colleagues' well-being. We first addressed organization and structural actions, then self-actions, and now we move on to our colleagues. 

I will open with a quote from Dr. Mukta Panda, MD, MACP, FRCP, the Assistant Dean for Well-being and Medical Student Education and Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.

“We cannot...

We are in a three-week series called Action Needed for the Wellbeing of Medicine. Last week we covered well-being from an organizational standpoint because we know that 80% of the contributors toward burnout are related to the systems.  Today we are shifting our focus to the 20% that we have some control over to prevent and treat burnout and improve our own wellbeing.

First, let me start by saying I know you are already resilient. The rigorous process of premed, MCAT, medical...

I am starting a three-week series called Action Needed for the Wellbeing of Medicine. You would think since I've read, researched, written about, and coached around burnout for long enough, that I wouldn't continue to listen, read, and learn. I mean – I experienced it firsthand as a mid-career physician before I had words to describe it. I healed from it. I learned tools to prevent and treat it. And yet, I am still learning – for myself, my patients, my physician clients, and...