Energy Management is an Inside Job

Today we're talking about energy management and why it's our responsibility to manage our own energy levels.

Key Points:

• Two of my physician clients shared calling out sick as weekly wins in coaching sessions – highlighting how we're trained to always put patient care first, often at our own expense
• Energy management is each of our personal responsibility, and no one else can see our energy levels or tank size
• Our energy tanks change throughout life stages (residency vs. parenting young children vs. empty nesting)
• Medicine falsely pretends we all have the same energy capacity
• When we choose to take a sick day when truly needed, we help change the unhealthy culture of medicine

Notable Quotes from Today's Episode:

"We are trained to put ourselves last, always. We are trained to work through, push through, ignore our bodies, ignore anything that we're feeling or experiencing... in order to put patient care first."

"No one can see the energy that we do or don't have. They can't see how big the tank is, they can't see how big the spigot is that's draining."

"Who we are and what we do matters. It matters and it makes a difference. We're going to figure out a way that we can do this and manage our energy in a sustainable way."

Practical Advice for All of Us:

• Let's assess our current life stage and energy capacity realistically
• We need to recognize when our tanks are depleted and take necessary breaks
• We should set proactive boundaries with our teams about our limitations
• We might need to consider whether our practice environments match our energy styles
• Remember that chronically pushing through low energy is unsustainable for all of us

Final Thoughts:

Finding alignment between patient care and self-care isn't mutually exclusive. By being responsible stewards of our own energy, we can create sustainable pathways to continue practicing medicine effectively while honoring our human needs.

Need more support? Schedule a coaching consultation at https://calendly.com/healthierforgood/coaching-discovery-call

Connect with us:

• Website: healthierforgood.com
• Email: megan@healthierforgood.com
• Instagram: @meganmelomd

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