What Is Self Care?

Self care is the practice of preserving one’s own health by actively taking steps. Medical professionals need self care just as much as other high risk professionals. This isn’t a new concept. It’s been studied among various medical professionals. Studies have shown that medical students who engage in self care tend to have less stress.

When it comes to chronic disease, we tend to advocate self care for our patients. Why not for ourselves? How come we don’t use this in a preventive way for ourselves?

Why is Self Care so difficult for Medical Professionals?

1.Perform at High Levels

Most medical professionals are expected to perform at peak or maximum levels. There’s no room for error. After all, you’re dealing with people’s lives. Most people are juggling practices, patients, lab work, paperwork, funding, dissertations, projects, research and so much more. All of them have to be perfect or close to perfection. That’s the unspoken truth about self care.

2. Guilt

Most medicos feel guilty. If they take the day off, multiple patients are affected. Schedules are messed up. Other colleagues get upset and so the very thought of being indulgent in some way makes us feel guilty. How dare you enjoy your life?

3. Priorities

On our list of priorities, everyone gets a share of us except us. Our patients get the lion share of our attention, followed by our colleagues, families, friends and then if there’s any time, us. It’s just that if you keep pushing yourself to the bottom of the list, soon you find you’re okay with not giving yourself any time at all.

How to Self Care for Medical Professionals?

There are a few aspects of health. Physical, emotional, spiritual, social and mental. No one size fits all. Each of us have different interests. So you must develop your own self care plan.

Physical Self Care

I know there were days when I would come home after a long day and then just stand under a shower and not even the feel the water on my skin. I didn’t know when I’d started and when I’d finished. This is because we function like robots once we’re off duty. I would suggest taking a few steps for your physical health.

–Work out. I personally love walking. There are days I can do ten to fifteen blocks just because it helps clear my mind. I also do martial arts because the repetitive motion tends to refocus your brain. 🥋 Dance, run, jog, bike, hike; do something physical. Get moving.

–Take long showers. Be mindful of every moment under the water. I use them to figure out my to-do list. I make a lot of decisions under the spray. If I find that I had no idea what the temperature of the water was or whether I’m done, I know I’m not centered.

–Eat well. You need the fuel but you also need the right food. Your body is a temple. You are what you eat. Eat healthy food. Include salads and fruits, if you don’t have the time. Make sure you’re including the required servings of fruits and vegetables. Get your protein. I do occasionally binge on potato chips and chocolate. I don’t sweat the once in a while decisions of eating crap. Eating the right food, keeps you light and fresh. Over-indulging in anything will make you sick.

–Sleep well. I have to have at least seven hours of sleep. When I wake up, if I don’t feel refreshed and excited about the day, I know I’m not done resting. Sleep early and sleep enough to allow your body and mind to recover.

Mental Self Care

These include doing things to keep you sharp. I know some days, I just want to eat leftovers and crawl into bed. Those emails can wait, forget about practicing the next bar of Canon and I don’t care about that interesting book under my pillow. I just don’t care. However, allow yourself to relax. Let your mind unwind. Watch a funny TV show. For me it’s listening to the radio. I like listening to the radio while I bake, practice my keyboard, or write. Writing is my go to therapy.

–What are your favorite hobbies? Get involved in them. Be creative. Is it painting, drawing, playing video games, singing karaoke, pick something to keep your mind sharp.

–Develop those oft-forgotten skills. Is there something you want to get better at? I want to get better at cake decorating, suturing, playing piano and speaking languages. So I practice and focus on activities that will help me. I’ve stopped buying meat for practice now, since our supermarket seems to have run out. 🥩

–Address any negative emotions. Don’t brush aside your feelings of despair, hatred, anger and pain. I know sometimes when work is difficult, you need to address what you’re feeling. I know plenty of medical people consider others losers for being emotional but we’re only human. Acknowledge your emotions. Have a good cry if you need to. Be mindful of what you’re feeling and why. Don’t sweep everything under the rug. If you do, it will all burst forth like a volcano later.

Social Self Care

This is so important. Sometimes you don’t want to hear anymore problems or anyone’s story. I know how mad I would get with my mom if she told me anther story about X when I’ve had a long day. The same with your friends. You can’t wait for the conversation to be over. Yet, we need social contact.

–Have friends who aren’t in the medical field. It’s important to have friends with whom you don’t discuss work. I’m blessed because I’m surrounded by people from all walks of life. At church, my friends all talk about faith and our choir practice. At the laundromat and the deli, the guys will always joke about my food, the state of my hair all among my clothes and I can laugh at myself. The dojo has folks who kick ass and share so much about life. My author community talk about books and our failures and successes. I have friends who are in so many fields and professions that most of the time, the conversations are so different and enriching from the ones we have at the clinic. These people ground us and prevent us from getting a “God” complex.

–Stay connected with family. These are people who know you at your worst. These people are folks you can vent to. This is so important for self care. I have family that I can call anytime and tell them what I’m going through. They may not offer you advice but may enliven your mood or change your perspective.

-Touch therapy. I’m a big believer in touch therapy. The power of a hug, just squeezing someone’s shoulder in encouragement and holding hands, it’s powerful. I love hugs and I feel touch can communicate so much. If you have kids and family, or friends that you can be close to, indulge in touch therapy. This isn’t just for premature babies. We’re human. We all like physical contact. Even if it means hugging your cat!

Emotional Self Care

We addressed emotions earlier but I’d like to give you a few ideas. If you feel stretched and losing yourself through your relationships or work, you need to rethink your actions.

–Write your feeling and identify your triggers. When we’re not in the mood, small things trigger us. It could be something silly, but when we’re off our game, small things make us angry. Identify your triggers and watch them.

–Set boundaries. Let people know what time they can call you or speak to you. If folks are encroaching on your self care time, gently let them know that you can’t do it or set an alternative date. I find this hard to do. 😟Everyone wants access to you and your time.

–Say No. You don’t have to agree to do everything. There are things I just don’t like doing. I feel like my brain cells are dying simply being there but I didn’t say no. So I’m stuck listening to nonsense or wasting precious time doing what is not even my work. Say No. People feel entitled to tell you what to do and for people pleasers saying no can be the hardest thing to do.

-Take A Break. Don’t hustle yourself into an early grave. My mother keeps reminding me, “Pamy, just live.” And that’s hard to do, when you’ve set goals, the deadlines have to be met and your perfectionist self wants everything done yesterday. Allow yourself some rest, to not always do everything, all the time.

–Breathe. Just breathe. When was the last time you just sat in front of the open window and breathed. In and out. Have you felt your little finger twitch? You don’t need a Youtube video to experience ASMR. You just need to close your eyes, breathe, and then hold your hands apart as if you were holding a ball. Then feel each finger and different parts of your body.

Spiritual Self Care

I can’t stress this enough especially since this is often ignored. Especially during tough times, you need a spiritual focus. For me it’s Jesus. I can’t imagine my life without my Catholic faith.

–Ground yourself in your spirituality, whatever that may be. Practice it deeply, consistently, and faithfully,

–Engage with your spiritual community. The sheer size of your spiritual community will help you realize how small you are in the grand scheme of things. Get involved in programs with the less fortunate.

–Practice Gratitude. This is not just a mindfulness practice. Studies show that people who are grateful tend to be happier. They empathize more and are kinder.

Medical Professionals Need Self Care

There are enough studies to show that medical professionals need self care. You cannot pour out from an empty cup. If you’re running on empty for a prolonged time you’ll just break down. Medical folks tend to ignore this at their own behest and then suffer. The number of physician suicides are on the rise and it’s bound to get worse if people ignore their own health. There’s no shame in asking for help. Speak to a therapist, take time off and recharge if you need to. The only person looking out for you is you. Not your patients, not the administrators, not your boss, nor the insurance companies. It’s YOU!

Let me know what are your self care tips. I’d love to know.