This week we will conclude our series on coping. The first week, we discussed some positive external methods to cope, along with a list of resources.  Last week, we discussed internal mechanisms of coping.  And finally, we tackle the cliff-hanger of sitting with your emotion and processing it. 

Part of healthy coping involves processing emotions. As physicians, we often distance emotions. That serves us well in times of emergency to stay focused. It is also helpful when we "check our counter...

We've talked a bit in the past about coping with COVID19. I want to expand to discuss how we as physicians can deal with everyday stressors.

It's not news to say being a physician, especially a family physician, especially a resident or faculty physician, especially in a pandemic, can be stressful.  The question is, what do you do with that stress?  And what result is your coping mechanism leaving you with? We have previously discussed moral injury and closing the stress cycle, but in this 3-pa...

2 weeks ago, we discussed procrastination and knowing if you are ready to change the pattern. Last week, we looked at how fear and perfectionism play into the cycle of procrastination.

This week we will talk about the 4 other feelings that lead to procrastination - Confusion, and Indecision, which are close cousins, Self-Doubt, and Overwhelm.  Those 4 feelings, like fear, are preceded by thoughts that cause them.  Our thoughts create our feelings which in turn create our action or inaction. ...

When I bring up feelings and emotions with residents, I can almost sense the suppressed cringe.  It’s actually very easy for me to imagine it, since I had that very same cringe whenever one of our didactics was on, let’s say, ‘softer topics.’  As a resident, I was there to learn straight up clinical medicine - not touchy-feely things. 

It’s actually really interesting that it’s common among physicians to equate emotions with touchy-feely.  There’s a wide range of emotions present in everyday...