This week, we are finally moving on in our series to the second key component for physicians' psychological health. Relatedness - a sense of belonging and connection - is critical, not only in team relations but in your personal mental fitness. Brené Brown has described belonging as the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity. It is connected to positive, lasting, and significant interpersonal relationships.

Relatedness...

I was a second-year resident on my pediatric emergency medicine month. I had worked enough shifts to become comfortable with the duties, the nurses, and the attendings. I listened to the attending take a radio call and was told they were “bringing in an 8-year-old who is playing possum,” implying that the child was faking an unresponsive state. 

Though comfortable walking into any room by this point, I still experienced some anxiety while waiting for a patient arriving...