TLDR at bottom*

The Challenge of Emotions in Medicine

As physicians, we encounter a LOT of interesting situations and can experience a LOT of emotions. We often distance ourselves from emotions to stay focused in emergencies or maintain professionalism with patients or in power differential situations in training. While one strategy is to remove yourself from the immediate situation to regroup, as the physician, that's not always safe or appropriate. 

Immediate regulation often happens by def...

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...

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...