This week, we conclude our series of the three foundational ingredients that support physicians’ psychological health. We camped out on Autonomy for five weeks, then covered Relatedness last week. This week we focus on Competence.

(I hope no one is disappointed that I will NOT be taking on the demonstration of competencies to specialty boards, governmental stakeholders, hospital organizations, patients, and other external entities. That controversial topic is beyond the...

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...

We talked about getting back to the self-care basics a few months back. Specifically, we focused on three basic physical needs and implementing those as busy healthcare professionals. This month, we will focus on three basic psychological needs for mental and emotional fitness. These are autonomy, connectedness, and competence.

Developing these assets leads to psychological growth and true mental fitness. We know sleep, good nutrition, and movement are essential for physical health for...