The Power of Positive Thinking was written by Norman Vincent Peale and first published in 1952. The book encouraged readers to visualize success, use positivity to drown out negativity, minimize obstacles, quote the serenity prayer, etc. (We can just picture you pausing and quoting the serenity prayer to yourself prior to walking into the exam room with a difficult patient.) The point of bringing up Peale's work is not to encourage you to read it, but simply to point out that the idea of building a healthy mindset is not new. We would be preaching to the choir if we told you that it is tough to remain positive in the midst of insurance changes, overbooked schedules, and managing a full staff.
However, learning to develop a positive mindset as a doctor might be one of the keys to avoiding high stress, burnout, depression, or any number of the mental illnesses doctors are being diagnosed with. Being a doctor is both rewarding and challenging. The job includes long hours and a true back and forth when it comes to wins and losses. For every successful patient visit, there is an insurance problem and for every great employee, there is a... not so great employee. Here are a few ways you can focus on improving your mindset in the midst of a busy career to lower stress while simultaneously improving your practice's performance. Meditation Wait! Hear us out! Meditation can get a bad reputation as something strange, but it is extremely valuable for the mind. Research shows that intentional meditation can lower anxiety and reduce distraction. Additionally, high-stress levels are proven to disrupt relationships and reduce empathy in both individuals and teams. Meditation is proven to increase compassionate responses and empathy toward suffering. "But when do I have time to sit down and meditate?" That is what you are thinking, right? Well, you don't. You are busy. You do have the opportunity to make time, though. Carving out 30 minutes each day to sit in the quiet and rest your mind is a productive exercise, but like all good things, it takes sacrifice and intentionality. If you think about it, we spend almost all of our time inundated by people, music, podcasts, and television. Allowing our mind to detox for a few minutes each day is a necessary exercise. Check out this great article by Drew Ramsey, M.D. titled "What Would Happen if Every Doctor Started Meditating" for additional information. Build a Culture of Positivity This might sound corny, but a practice with a collective negative mindset will produce negative results. Stanford Psychology Professor Alia Crum focuses on the importance of mindset and social context in the healing process. She is one of the key drivers behind the University's call for "more health care providers to place emphasis on the importance of individual mindsets and social context in healing." She notes that "a health care provider's bedside manner is important, and what patients think and expect about treatments can influence health outcomes." In a practice setting, doctors and staff are often optimistic about treatment options and positive results, but the danger for many is when frustrations and concerns from outside the exam room creep in and influence behavior. Practicing meditation can reduce these occurrences and help us boost the patient's mindset and increase the odds of a positive outcome. Our patient's outlook and mindset will almost always mirror our own. It is crucial that we make sure our entire practice promotes positivity. Reflection It is so easy to take our negative work experiences home with us. We enjoy the positive, but dwell on the negative. It can drag us down and create a negative environment for everyone around us. A good way to change our outlook at the end of each day is to practice reflection. At the end of every day, write down three positive things that happened and three things you would like to improve. (Notice we didn't say negative things.) Review your list, reflect, and leave it at the office. A 2010 study by Shawn Achor found that individuals who participate in one quick positive exercise a day (such as reflection or meditation) experience increased productivity and happiness at work. Check out this Harvard Business Review article on positive intelligence for more information on Achor's work. Conclusion Our mindset will determine the direction of not only our personal health and career, but also our practice. The question is simply one of time. Will we, as doctors, take the time to give our minds the needed rest in order to operate at peak performance for our families, staff, and patients? If you currently practice meditation or some form of daily reflection, please let us know! We would love to hear about it and share what you do with our other referring doctors!
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11/6/2023 12:40:13 am
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AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
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