Spa in DVN by Dennis Wong [https://flic.kr/p/4FjjBY] | CC BY 2.0 A hot topic of conversation lately is physician burnout. Professionals in our profession are working themselves into the ground. One sure fire way to make sure you don’t reach the point of burnout is setting aside some good R & R time for yourself. Have you daydreamt about a day at the spa, or a day of pampering, then fell back into reality thinking “Oh that’s too expensive!” or “I need to use that money to pay my ____ bill?” It’s so easy to neglect ourselves simply because we think...

Freedom by Josef Grunig [https://flic.kr/p/3D7Ztx] | CC BY-SA 2.0 As physicians, we are generally regarded as intelligent. However, we often are not as emotionally intelligent as we could be. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your emotions, express them and use them in positive ways. Emotional literacy is the ability to communicate about our feelings. If you can’t express your emotions honestly and feel understood, you will likely become angry, frustrated and sad. It is so important to learn how to speak about our emotions in a healthy way that creates good relationships and fosters intimacy with others. Here are...

As physicians, many of us know all too well that stress is a common feature in the lives of American citizens. This is often due to their career, financial situation or family life. The 3 out of 4 Americans experiencing stress at levels that cause a wide range of stress-related physical symptoms, experience problems such as upset stomachs, insomnia, headaches, elevations in blood pressure, changes in appetite, muscle tension and pain. We see stress in patients every day, but how often do we take a look in the mirror and identify stress in our own lives? When we are feeling run...