Whether you’re working a permanent physician job or as a locum doctor, there’s no argument having a medical career is demanding. The hours are long, gruelling and excellence is expected at all times. This combined with the unpredictability of personal life can lead to physician burnout.

Having a busy career as a medical physician is taxing in terms of physical and mental health. When so much is riding on your wellbeing, it becomes all the more important to take care of yourself.

Being in the medical profession, you must be familiar that self-care is no easy feat. There is not a set formula you can put into motion and voilà, your physical and mental health is restored. It has to be actively practised regularly.

If juggling work and personal life have been straining for your mental and physical health, this post is for you. Here are a few ways to reinstate life balance:

Look After Your Physical Health

As a medical professional, you already know the importance of eating well and exercising. A lot relies on your physical health in terms of your personal and professional life.

If you’re trying to achieve a better lifestyle, it all comes down to choices. Can you pass on the extra shift you were offered? Can you skip your friend’s birthday dinner? You have to prioritise getting enough sleep, eating balanced meals and incorporating workouts. It can be difficult, but it’s possible.

The importance of eating healthy cannot be overstated. So try to follow a healthy diet. Incorporate proteins, micro as well as macronutrients, healthy fats and carbs into your diet. Don’t forget to consume antioxidants — they are important to maintain your gut health, detoxify your body, reduce the risk of many diseases and improve energy. Try to have Japanese Green Tea daily. Matcha Maiden’s matcha tea is full of antioxidants, catechins, and nutrients.

If you are a coffee drinker, you can opt for a matcha latte instead.

Manage Your Mind

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Being a physician, you cannot afford to make mistakes. And if you’re not in the right frame of mind, it gives leeway to errors.

Whenever you get some time to yourself, whether that’s during lunch or in between patients, try to practice mindfulness. It will help ground your mind, clear your thoughts and improve concentration. There are a lot of ways in which you can achieve mindfulness. Create a journal, take nature walks frequently, observe your breathing, address your emotions, or speak to a professional if you like.

Even when you’re at home, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do something. Sometimes, it’s perfectly okay to stay home and relax with a book.

Take Breaks

Besides a good diet and mindfulness, you should take breaks whenever you can. Even a 5-minute break resets and refreshes your mind and body. Avoid continuously working for several hours. Pushing your mind and body to extremes will make you inefficient and prone to inaccuracies.

You can simply go around the block for a short walk or catch up with a coworker. Stretch your body every hour, or else you’ll end up putting too much pressure on yourself and ruin your posture.

Delegate Tasks

Micromanaging every single thing is just a way of adding stress that you don’t need. Learn how to delegate inconsequential tasks to administrative staff and medical assistants.

As a doctor, it can be difficult to keep track of your job and long-night shifts. To make it easy for yourself, list everything up on your calendar.

Find A Hobby

It might seem ridiculous, but you can’t make your entire life revolve around your job. Find a hobby to create some boundaries. Instead of obsessing over your job in your free time, practice an instrument, join a sports league or play video games. Whatever floats your boat. Don’t feel guilty to indulge in moments of happiness. You deserve it as much as others do. So take out time to do all the things you like.

Get A Planner

With an incredibly busy life, it’s difficult to track what exactly you’re spending your time on. An easy solution for this? Get a planner. Writing down your tasks and activities every day will help you visualise how you’re spending your days. This will allow you to implement a work-life balance, instead of burning the candle at both ends.

Final Thoughts

Working hard and being passionate about your job are excellent qualities, but not when it comes at the price of your own wellbeing. We hope this post inspires you to work towards attaining balance in your life. Because that’s what’s best for you. Sure, doctors know best, but sometimes they also need someone to look after their needs and remind them they are also human beings.