Stress, Burnout, and Moral injury in healthcare

I recently listened to Brené Brown’s podcast on Burnout with Emily and Amelia Nagoski, twin sisters, who wrote the book Burnout: Unlocking the Stress Cycle. If you haven’t listened to it, I recommend it: Podcast link (summary tips at the end of my blog).

I reflected, as I have more often since I’ve been coaching, how poorly we as physicians process emotions in general. I plan a future blog devoted...

Can we talk all things feedback? Feedback can be beneficial for doctors to gain awareness of strengths and opportunities for improvement.  As physicians that went through innumerable tests and critiques before and during medical school, throughout training, and in ongoing board certification and quality measures, we can fall into some unhealthy patterns around evaluations.  The impact of any feedback actually depends, not only on the methods and the giver, but on how it’s...

My latest Vlog on exercise and movement as busy physicians.

Pro tip: Don't add it to your "should do" list - add it to your "I get to list" and then commit to it but allow flexibility and self-compassion.  

Start low and build up slowly if it's been awhile.

I’ve been asked to tell how I ended up in this physician coaching space a few times over the last several weeks. So, I decided to do some reflective writing about my journey.

Four major experiences overlapped and culminated in the creation of Joy in Family Medicine Coaching Services®, LLC.

First, my own personal burnout story reached the pinnacle in March 2015.  Mine was mid-career in timing (16 years out).  I was absolutely loving academic medicine and all...

Self-care can consist of many things.  Good nutrition, exercise/movement, mindfulness, meditation, prayer, reading, spiritual practice, connection with others, gratefulness, giving, setting boundaries, getting out in nature, relaxing, play, restorative sleep, pampering, goal setting/prioritizing, vacations, scheduled alone/down time. Basically, self-care means taking time to improve and prioritize your physical, spiritual, and emotional/mental health.

Many of the...

How many of you have been waiting for joy to arrive? When do you think it will appear?

Many professions and individuals slip into the mentality that when they get through the current stage or stressor, they will finally find their joy. It’s incredibly prevalent among physicians given the nature of our delayed gratification in training. It’s common to think joy will arrive or be delivered after an accomplishment.

“I finished med school and matched into residency”...

By spending 5 minutes on meals before leaving for work- you can find a healthy breakfast and prep a healthy lunch. Here are my go - to's. You can find your own. You're smart - get your brain working on what way you can get fruits/veggies/whole grains/protein in for breakfast and lunch in fast manner. Making choice in the morning will help you from choosing a less healthy choice at lunch when you're hungry and suffering from decision fatigue.

Have a joy filled day!  Tonya

My...

Starting in residency and amplified ten-fold as we transition to early career, many physicians realize that close friendships take more intention. Often, we are oblivious to it early in our career as we’re so busy working in a new setting and raising families, but it eventually catches up. Over several years, I eventually connected with some special friends in Florida, especially when my work life wasn’t insane.

After moving from Florida to Alaska (another story for another...

Dr. Aaron Rothstein is a GP in Canada who runs a podcast. He recently had me on to discuss burnout. Listen to more of his podcasts here.