Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections
Lessons, lightbulb moments, and honest reflections from life inside and outside medicine - served with a side of perspective.
Tags: adrenaline
Showing 2 results:
When Difficult Gets Interesting
I was recently talking with a leader who had navigated a complex, high-stakes situation. We discussed the stress she had experienced. I asked if in the midst of it, she had also felt energized by the challenge. I saw a little twinkle in her eye as she said, “a little.”
And so, no surprise, that g...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Oct 30, 2026
adaptability
adrenaline
appraisal
awareness
capacity
challenge
challenge response
cognitive flexbility
cohesion
collaboration
complexity
confidence
coping
cortisol
crisis
decision making
dhea
discomfort
dopamine
education
emotional intelligence
empowerment
engagement
fight or flight
figureoutable
flexbility
fulfillment
growth
healthcare
leadership
leadership development
learning
medicine
mentoring
mindset
motivation
neuroscience
perception
performance
physiology
pressure
prioritization
problem-solving
psychology
recovery
reflection
reframing
residency
resilience
resourcefulness
satisfaction
strategy
stress
stress management
teaching
teamwork
thriving
uncertainty
Costly Lunch Laughs, Story and Reflection
Back in 2003, I was with four friends in Germany. We ducked into a diner for lunch. The two guys were just hilarious. Their dry sense of humor and perfect timing had us laughing so hard we could barely catch our breaths - literally for my friend Cheryl. 😳
She inhaled food upon laughing, and then ...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 10, 2025
action
adrenaline
amygdala
bravery
compassion
courage
decision making
discomfort
doubt
fear
freeze response
growth
hesitation
humor
inner conflict
instinct
intuition
knowing
leadership
ownership
paradox
presene
pressure
reaction
reflection
rescue
responsibility
self-trust
urgency
vulnerability
Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections