This poem and its introduction have been written by a doctor who found poetry the best way to share her experiences. She has written a series of poems on burnout, what I won't be missing this festive period, burnt out but not washed up, Mount Backlog, Coming out and Experiential Practice. Please do take a look … Continue reading Rumination poem
Author: Dr Kate Little.
GP. Clinical Champion 4 Physical Activity. Clinical Lead 4 @NHSGPHealth. Blog on #Wellbeing @NASGP & @ https://physicianburnout.co.uk . Founder @HorsleyHub
Have you ever been stuck in a swirl of negative thoughts, rehashing things that you should or shouldn’t have said or done? Most of us will recognise this circular self-battering, a process known as rumination. Rumination or “chewing the cud”, refers to the way that certain animals, like cows, eat, storing their partially-digested food in … Continue reading Breaking the rumination trap
by Dr Sarah Yates Medicine is stressful, there’s no getting past that. Each day we juggle complex emotions (our own and our patient’s); make snap second decisions that are potentially the difference between life and death, suffering and healing; a life weighed down by trauma and guilt, or a way forward to hope. We have … Continue reading Medicine is Stressful
Many of us will have experienced a time of emotional crisis. It could follow a break-up of a relationship, a bereavement, a traumatic event, financial worries or an adjustment to a big change. We might feel inadequate, a failure, ashamed, angry, agitated, shocked or numb. These feelings may resolve with time, but they might instead … Continue reading Staying Safe
Our working environment has changed enormously over the last few decades. The workload, intensity and patient complexity have grown exponentially. In parallel, the time and space that we have at work and at home to recharge and support each other has become massively compressed. My last post looked at the factors that make doctors vulnerable … Continue reading Thriving, not just surviving.
I haven't written on here for a long time for a myriad of reasons but I hope that this post that I wrote for NASGP and which has had a lot of comments and interest will be the start of many more... You may have seen Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC show “Doctors’ mental health at tipping … Continue reading Wounded healers : what makes us so vulnerable to mental ill-health?
“Mummy, you’re not listening” my son says. “Mmmm. Sorry, I have just got to reply to this e-mail and I’ll be right with you…” Only I get side-tracked and the next thing I know, I am checking the WhatsApp and Facebook notifications on my phone. An argument breaks out at top volume around me. Sound … Continue reading The importance of unplugging and why you should become a Digital Rebel.
Recognise. Prevent. Recover. 