Let's Hit the Reset Button

In this episode of Behind the Stethoscope, I share how stepping away from my normal routine helped me realize the importance of hitting the reset button. We talk about what it means to feel out of alignment, how to recognize when you're running on autopilot, and why taking a break doesn't mean you're falling behind.

Whether you're a pre-vet student, veterinary student, new graduate, practicing veterinarian, or simply someone navigating a busy season of life, this episode is a reminder that you don't have to wait for burnout to prioritize yourself.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause, reconnect with what matters most, and come back with a fresh perspective.

Because life isn't meant to be lived entirely at work, in school, or checking things off a to-do list.

Sometimes, you just need a reset.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hi friends and welcome back to Behind the Stethoscope. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Brand. I am just a new ER grad veterinarian, just trying to figure everything out like the rest of us. I know it's been a couple weeks since my last episode. That is secondary to me traveling a lot. So we're gonna kind of get into it about that. But first off, I do want to say I am hi friends and welcome back to Behind the Seth Scope. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Brand. I am just a new ER grad veterinarian, just trying to figure everything out like the rest of us. I know it's been a couple weeks since my last episode. That is secondary to me traveling. I will get into like kind of all my trips and everything like that. But first off, secondary to my trips, I want to say how grateful and how lucky I am to be an American. I have just always loved being an American. Being from the USA, I have so much American pride, knowing that the fourth of what knowing that the 4th of July is coming up soon. But one of my trips was to Toronto, Canada, and just seeing how lucky we are to live where we live and the freedoms that we have, and how lucky we are to live in the United States. So I just want to kind of start this episode off by saying how grateful I am. And we don't realize how lucky we are to be in the States and get the freedoms that we get and live the lives that we get to live. Canada is amazing, and again, I'll get into all that, but definitely proud to be an American. So on this episode, we are gonna talk about hitting the reset button. I talk through these episodes, I talk about a lot of what's going on in my life, and I definitely hit that reset button. Didn't know that I needed it, definitely hit that reset button while I was on my trips, and we're just gonna talk about it. So let's get into it. Hi friends, and welcome back to Behind the Seth Scope. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Brand. I am just a new ER grad veterinarian, just trying to figure everything out like the rest of us. I know it's been a couple weeks since my last episode. That is because I have been on vacation. We'll get into that. But before I start this episode, I want to say how lucky I feel to be an American. One of my trips was to Canada. It was so fun, my first time ever in Canada. But I've been international quite a bit over the last couple of years. And every time I go, it definitely gives me perspective about how lucky I am and how lucky we are to live in the States and be an American. So I just want to throw some American pride out there. Fourth of July is coming up. Yep. Super grateful, super lucky to be an American. Again, it just brings perspective when you go to a different place, a different culture, even Canada, who is so close to us, literally and figuratively. Their culture is very similar, the distance is very similar, like everything, but I still can see the differences and still so grateful to be an American. So this episode, we are gonna talk about hitting the reset button. On this podcast, I talk a lot about what's going on in my life, what I feel like is relevant in my life, and just kind of sharing it, talking out loud, sharing kind of my experiences, my thoughts on different situations. And so we're gonna talk about hitting the reset button. So let's get into it. First, we're gonna talk about how busy life can get. I think in my own life, I can relate to this a lot in the sense of we just put ourselves on autopilot, right? We go to work, we do our job, we come home, we go to work, we do our job and come home. And so we just kind of do the cycle over and over again. In my life, or in my job in particular, I only work 12 shifts out of the month. So we work 12, 13, 14-hour shifts, 12-hour shifts, is what we're scheduled for. And then on the days off, we have off. Most time personally, I'm doing medical records, and I think a lot of ER vets can relate to that. And so maybe those days aren't completely off from work. And so in my life, I go to work, I come home, I go to work, I come home, I go to work maybe three or four days straight. Then on the days that I have off, I'm doing medical records, and then I'm back on. And so I was running in this cycle of just like going here and doing this and going here and doing this. And so you get into this routine. And I think a lot of, I don't know, eight to fiveers can probably relate to this as well, in the sense of you go to work, you come home, you go to work, you go home, you go to work, the weekends are here, great, you do a couple things, you go to work, you come home. And so I don't feel like sometimes there's ever that break, or you don't recognize, oh, maybe I need to hit the reset button. Maybe I need to stop, slow down for a second, and realize what's going on, right? You're doing a great job at work. Like you just got a promotion, let's celebrate it. You're it's your parents' birthday, it's your birthday, it's an anniversary. Stop and celebrate it. And I feel like we go on this ride of life, and then you're like, oh my gosh, it's already February. Oh my gosh, it's already May. And then, like, here it is. Like, it's literally June right now in 2026, which is literally insane, and it's halfway through June already. And so I feel like we just let things run on autopilot and just keep going instead of appreciating the work that you're doing. In my world, it is so easy to get bogged down with the negativity of dang, I didn't get that result on that case that I wanted. You had a really tough night. There was a couple nights ago I had a really tough night, and you just like go through that cycle instead of like sometimes sitting there and appreciating the good that you're doing. I think a lot of people can relate to that, and I think a lot of people like literally turn to that and go, maybe I have a little burnout on top of that, right? I think burnout can contribute to autopilot of here we go again, just doing the same thing over and over again. I'm guilty of this myself. I'm like, oh, here we go again, work again. But I feel like that's super natural for a lot of people. So I just want to challenge you guys that if you're there in those moments, hit the reset button, right? So, my reset button that I just had, I went on a trip to Denver and then I turned around and went to a trip to Toronto. It was a father-daughter trip in Toronto, and it was so fun. I got to do the things that I love to do. Traveling is something that I love to do. I love exploring cultures, I love exploring new places, doing different things. Second, I love concerts. I love country concerts. I'm a country girl through and through. And I gotta go see Morgan Wallen, Ella Lameley, Gavin Adcock, Dirk Spentley, and Luke Combs. And that is like my ideal time. And I don't think it truly hit me because I did four days in Denver, and then I did like four or five days in Toronto. I don't think it truly hit me until my last day. We were at the Luke Combs concert, me and my dad, and I'm sitting there. What a great life I have. I need to stop and I need to reset and reevaluate like how great things are. And I'm not saying like this has to be your reset. Fly to Toronto and go do something crazy. That's not what a reset is, but that became my reset that I didn't even know that I needed. And so standing there listening to Luke Combs, like all of my favorite songs, and like sitting there going, I need to appreciate the things that are right in front of me. I need to appreciate this moment and this time I have with my dad. I need to appreciate like how lucky I am to be able to do these things and be able to take off work and go and be able to have the extended time that I have off and appreciate the time with my family and a whole nine yards. I challenge you guys to do the same, right? It might not, whatever that looks like to you, right? If you want to, if your reset is walking your dog, go walk your dog. It doesn't have to be something super crazy doing a date night with your significant other, like hanging out with your family, going to dinner with your family, going to mini golf just because I don't think a reset has to be this huge big thing, but I think a reset is always important to like almost check yourself of like, where are you at? What do you want? Where are you going? And doing the things that you love to do. This past weekend, I played in a softball tournament. I love softball. Softball will always be a part of me. And sitting there doing the things that I love to do, it puts in perspective of the things at work, right? There's so much bigger things going on and just gives so much perspective when you hit that reset button. And it makes you a better doctor, it makes you a better person. And I feel like I'm making this a very broad topic, right? I feel, yes, I can make it into veterinary medicine in particular, in that kind of corner in that world, but I think hitting the reset button like applies to like everybody. And I feel like everybody can turn on autopilot, right? In their jobs, in their school, in their work. I remember doing it in undergrad. I would say literally sit there and be like, okay, to the next test. Next Tuesday, I have a test. The next Thursday, I have a test, the next, and you'd put yourself on autopilot of gotta get to the next test, gotta get to the next test, gotta get to the next, and you're like, oh, finals, okay, and push through that. And then, oh, I only have two weeks until my and so you just keep going in this cycle. You keep going in the cycle until you stop, smell the roses a little bit, go walk your dog, go be a normal person, go be you. And I think at the end of the day, I think I keep preaching this because I feel like this is one of the most important things is I'm Dr. Brand. I will always be Dr. Brand. I go to work and I'm like it called Dr. Brand. And it wasn't truly until I took a step away from work that I was like, oh my gosh, I haven't been called Elizabeth in so long because everyone just calls me Brand. Dr. Brand, Dr. Brand, like all of this stuff. And it wasn't until someone called me Elizabeth three times at softball the other day that I was like, oh my gosh, I'm Elizabeth too. And I feel like when you put yourself on autopilot, you lose that a little bit. Anyway, moral of the story is I challenge you guys to reset, find your hobbies again. What do you love to do? It's summertime. Go to the lake, go to the beach, go to a pond, go on trails, go do something fun, go outdoors, breathe in the fresh air, get some vitamin D, do what you love to do, find the things that you love to do again and continue to do them. I think that's so important. It makes you a better doctor for it. I got back to work after my trips and I was so refreshed. I was so ready to tackle the day. I felt like my patients got a better version of me than before I left because I came in with a clear heart, a clear mind, a refreshed mind. I had more appreciation for what I was doing and where I was at in my life. And I think that again, this is just what's going on in my life, right? And so I want to give that advice to somebody else who needs it. So if you're listening to this and you're like, yeah, I am an autopilot, or I do need a reset, whatever that means. I'm not saying quit your job, but be intentional and reset. Reset, figure out your priorities. What do you want to do? Where do you want to be? What are you working towards? And go get it. When I say go get it, this needs to be in particular, like, yes, like work. We have goals, right? We have career goals. I have a career goal. I know what I want to do, where I want to go, how do I want to, how can I be the best doctor? But again, reflecting on life too. Like, where do I want to be in two years, three years, four years, five years, whatever the case is. Like, what is the next steps for me personally? What is the next steps? How do I become a better person? How do I become healthier? How do I become a better partner? How do I become a better daughter, sister, etc.? And that has a lot of reflecting to do too. You definitely need to figure out the next direction to figure out where you go from there. And I feel like once you figure that out, once you figure out where you need to go and what you need to do, I think, like I said earlier, like you're gonna be the best doctor, you're gonna be the best employee, you're gonna be the best son, you're gonna be the best partner, you're gonna be all of those things for the people that need you. And I think that's so important for us to be the best versions of ourselves. Sorry, I feel like this has become like a very preachy moment, and I definitely did not want it to be like that at all. I have just experienced, I don't know, some clarity in my life in the sense of I never thought I would put myself on autopilot, and I definitely have. And so checking myself and resetting and doing the things that I love to do again and sleeping in sometimes or taking a nap in the middle of the day, or hey, let me just go walk my dog, or let's go to the pool, or do something fun with my friends, and you just get so bogged down by work sometimes and hand up, like I was, and it took me stepping away, me sleeping in, me doing fun things on the road, and me experiencing new cultures to go, how lucky I am to do what I get to do. I love what I do, I love my job, I love being an American, I love living in the States, and it takes you stepping away from all of that to say, I am so grateful to be in a spot that I'm in. I'm so grateful to have people in my life who always stand by my side. I am so lucky to have people who have come in my life and left my life because of the lessons they taught me. I think it brings perspective. The reset button, it brings perspective. So, like I said, I challenge you guys to find your hobbies, find your reset, whatever that reset may be, search for it, find it, be intentional about it, and you won't go wrong. Okay, so now let's get into case of the week. It has been a little bit of time since I've done case of the week. So I just kind of want to shout out my favorite one this past week. I had a eight-year-old male-neutered cat come in presenting for straining urinate. Very immediately, the cat was panting. The cat had a rock hard stomach. I palpated the bladder, and the bladder was like the size of an orange in a cat. Like it was massive. I put a quick ultrasound probe on it. The cat's bladder was very enlarged, very hard and firm. So, for you guys that don't know, our biggest concern in this case is that it has a urinary obstruction. Urinary obstructions can come from many different causes. Stones being one of them, some of the times in cats, we call it fluted, feline, lower urinary tract disease. But basically, that means secondary to stress, there is mucus that can form, crystals that can form, all these different things. And again, that's a whole different topic. And I don't really love getting into the medicine side of things on this one. But his mentation was very dull, open mouth breathing, panting, his heart rate was very low. It was very critical. He was very critical, very fast. The things that we worry about in a blocked cat is that urinary obstruction where he can't pee. Is one, when they urinate, when everybody urinates, we excrete potassium. And when a cat is not able to urinate, potassium builds up in our bloodstream. And potassium can be very toxic to the heart when it's severely elevated. So we worry about the heart rate dropping, and the fact that the heart rate was low is very concerning that the potassium is probably very high. So this is an emergency. This is medical intervention immediately. We immediately started going and giving him medications, trying to drop that potassium, doing kind of all the things recommended immediately unblocking him. We so that's kind of what I did first. I sedated him, immediately unblocked him while giving him medications to try to bring that potassium down. Then secondary, we talked about all of the secondary recommendations, secondary like costs, secondary, everything like that. But like first and foremost was unblocking him, because that is the best thing that we can do for him in that moment, while also giving him medications to drop that potassium. Saying a lot of things, probably a lot of medical terms, but a lot of people like this stuff. So I just ran with that. But the cat urine was literally blood coming out of the catheter. So we placed a catheter, we allowed that to drain, and it was strictly blood coming out. We gave him tons of IV fluids, tons of medication again to drop that potassium. Recommended two days in hospital while we basically flush out his bladder with the IV fluids coming in through the vein, going to the kidneys, cycling through the kidneys, and then flushing out. The second concern with these guys is that they have elevated kidney values that is secondary to the urine backing up or not being able to flow down into the bladder. So the urine is just sitting there after the kidneys make it. So the kidneys get really angry. And so running some tests, making sure if they're elevated, helping with that. Secondary, if there's a UTI, like a urinary tract infection, giving him antibiotics to help with that. But the cat was super critical. Like when he came in, I was not sure if he was gonna make it. I got see him go home. It was literally the best feeling knowing that I did one, everything that I could, I was prepared, I was ready, and it ended up saving the cat's life. So it was super fun. It was such a great case. And the mom brought the two little kids to come pick them up. And the little boy was like holding a carrier and like walking out with him because he was so happy to have his cat home. And so I think watching that it brings perspective of that's what we do this for. Those little moments we could take for granted, right? And those little moments made it all worth it. The stress and this, when you get those wins and watch the little boy carry the cat out of the hospital, that cat has a long way to go. But the win that it took that the cat is eating and able to leave the hospital after almost passing two days prior is what we do this for. So I thought I'd share that case. It was such a fun case. If you guys have any questions on urinary obstructions, feline urinary tract disease, like anything like that, please let me know. Again, I try to gauge how medical I got based on the audience and their understanding and not understanding. So if you want me to go more in depth, I totally can. But yeah, so that is my case of the week. So circling back to the reset theme. I'm not saying, hey, go and travel for two weeks. I'm not saying, hey, you need to quit your job tomorrow. I'm just saying this episode is about giving yourself permission. Giving yourself permission to reset, recharge, reevaluate priorities that's going on in your life. And I hope the things that I've said during this episode helps you guys do that. I am not a therapist by any stretch of imagination, but I want to say that I'm hoping that some of this helps you just reconnect. I hope it helps you reset and go, what are my values? But with that being said, I want to thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I love doing this. I loved being using my creative side. Again, talking about what's going on in my life and hoping it helps other people. And yeah, anyway, if you guys have any questions, obviously feel free to contact me anytime. And I will see you guys next week on Behind the Stethoscope. Thank you guys so much. Okay, I just have to put a disclaimer in here. This content shared behind the stethoscope is for educational and informational purposes only. This podcast does not provide medical advice, establish a veterinary client patient relationship. Any cases that I discuss throughout this episode are generalized and anonymous, but the pet owner should always consult their veterinarian for medical decisions regarding their pet. And opinions expressed are my own and does not represent my employer or organization.