My name is Mary Wolf and I have the honor of coaching doctors, dentists and veterinarians as we journey through this unknown time of burnout being the number one public health crisis. It is more important than ever to explore ways to give great care to our patients while maintaining our own health and fulfillment.
I started my business, Veritee, after my own episode of burnout during COVID. Even as a licensed professional counselor and executive coach, I could see my pattern of productivity defining my worth and value, a trait that I often see in my doctor clients. Now, I can better help my clients to break these faulty thinking patterns and to retrain thinking to value Being, instead of Doing.
I found a useful model from a webinar by the Wellbeing Index that I recommend to health care professionals whom I work with. The Wellbeing Index is an assessment tool that measures distress and wellbeing of healthcare providers. The model has been helpful as I coach health professionals. It also can be useful for the leaders. I like this model because it focuses on what is actually in our control. You can download the Wellbeing Index app for free and take the Wellbeing Index as often as you want. Here is more information on the Wellbeing Index. https://www.mywellbeingindex.org/
One doctor that I coached took the assessment each month to gauge his progress with the wellbeing strategy that he had implemented for his work and home life. The progress motivated him to keep moving forward. The Index also can give comparison data for physicians and dentists across the US.
This Wellbeing Index Model is a three-part pyramid.
Level One: Self-Care
The foundation or base of the pyramid is Self-Care. We advocate for our patients with such passion. Our focus also needs to be on self advocacy in order to be able to sustain a fulfilling career. My busy overachieving professional clients tell me that they don’t take breaks when they are at work but many are changing that after learning about microbreaks.
Microbreaks are the newest researched way for self-care and probably the most realistic method. Research states that short breaks of 3-8 minutes can be just as effective as longer breaks. My clients favorite microbreaks are going outside, listening to music, reading, watching a funny video, doodling or journaling, texting a friend, stretching, walking, making a short call, and using a meditation app. Microbreaks have many benefits including enhanced productivity, attention, and mental health as outlined in this article.
One of the best self-care outlets that I’ve seen from clients is creativity. I have worked with health professionals who are amazingly talented when they allow their creative side to emerge. Some examples of creative activities include gardening, drawing, cooking, baking, knitting, journaling, painting, composing, quilting, writing lyrics, DIY projects, writing, dancing, and making tik tok videos with their kids. Creating is good for the soul. My favorite creative outlet is helping my son with his music business and writing lyrics.
Reflection Question: What habits do you want to create around self- care?
Level Two: Managing Relationships
Think about your relationships with your colleagues, boss, spouse/partner, children, parents, and friends.
Managing relationships looks different for each person. Some are focusing on patience, taking time for real conversations, and being more present in the moment.
Some are actually managing relationships by setting boundaries and conserving energy. It is okay to let go of frustrating relationships with those who have conflicting values.
Sometimes managing relationships means forgiveness or an apology. Other times, it looks like spending one on one time with each child or finally getting around to making a date night happen.
I like the book, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, to help with those difficult discussions. It offers strategies to plan for your discussion and ways to start the conversation and build trust.
Often others notice our stress or lack of sleep before we do. We might need their gentle suggestions to identify when we need rest, food, or recharge time.
It’s also important to know for ourselves what our signs of overload are. Is it when we start interrupting others and getting impatient and irritable? Craving alcohol or caffeine? When we isolate from others? Or comfort eating? Too often we ignore our overload symptoms and keep working until the stress accumulates and we lash out at people with more force than we mean to.
We all know that we give our best to others when we are well rested and basic needs are met. When relationships are not going well, we need to go back to level one and focus on self-care.
Reflection Question: What relationship at work or home needs to be better managed?
Level Three: Leading Change at Work and with Family
Are we leading by fear or leading by love? It might be one way at home and the other at work. One way to lead is by modeling.
I’m impressed with one of my client’s modeling by showing up early for her work day. She cleans her area, gets settled, takes time to transition to work by reading the updates on email, and then actively works on letting go of her Mom guilt. She takes time to reflect. She thinks about how she wants to be and how she wants to lead today. Her goal is to say ‘thank you’ more and be more patient with self and colleagues. She sets the intention for how she wants to be during her time at work and starts her day with a sense of peace, not dread.
Busy health professionals can model self-care by taking meal breaks and making sure others do too. Modeling allows us to lead change and create a healthy culture. Modeling also can allow us to feel that we are in control of some things in our hectic environments.
Again, back to the pyramid, if leading is not going well, go back to the second level of managing relationships. Spend time focused on one relationship that has tension. Revisit the self-care strategies and incorporate a microbreak.
Hang this model on your mirror or desk as a reminder that self-care has to be the foundation for all the other aspects to work in your life. Try sharing this model with your team.
Reflection Question: How do I want to lead better? At Work? At Home?
I’m thrilled to be working with Bank Midwest to help physicians, dentists and veterinarians not only with financial health, but overall wellbeing.
Veritee means truth. I help busy professionals find their truth and live optimally. Please reach out to me if I can help you with building your truth strategy.
With my twenty-eight-year career focused on emotional wellbeing, I started Veritee to help busy physicians, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors and executives to create sustainable and fulfilling careers while keeping their truth, health and family a priority. I am a licensed professional counselor and certified as an executive, life and spirituality coach.
If you would like to explore this model more and implement wellbeing strategies for career sustainability and fulfillment, feel free to book a thirty-minute free call to discuss your individual challenges and goals. [email protected]
