Burning Out? Fire Up!

I had a perfectly delightful day Saturday running a wing and nail trim clinic at our local bird show.  I say delightful, because we had a great time people and bird watching, and it was a change from our daily routine.  My wonderful technicians and I were not as busy as we are used to, however it was good to do something positive for our community and see so many people enjoying the company of birds.

Why does a change in routine feel more energizing than a typical day?  How can we have this same energy every day in work and life?

Many veterinarians and veterinary technicians struggle with feelings of exhaustion often voicing that they are “burned out”.  Exhausted from the physical challenges of the job and burned out from the emotional challenges that we face every day.  It is the routine that usually gets to us. We say things like, “I am so exhausted.”, “what a long day”  and “I am overwhelmed.”  

Are we exhausted because of our job or because of the way we think about our job?  Is it the clients or the team members, or is it you?  The way we think about our day has a strong correlation with our ability to keep a positive outlook and overcome the tendency to lump all of the daily activities into the category of over work and feeling tired.

The exhaustion comes from our brain telling us that we are incompetent, unappreciated and unqualified. 

So, if our thinking is the problem, how can we change it and fire up? Here are a few great things that you can do. 

Finish what you start.  Multitasking seems fun, but it really adds to daily stress and leads to overwhelming feelings.  If you can focus on one thing at a time and really finish it, you will feel much calmer and in control of your day.  Make a short list of the most important things that you want to finish today and get it done before you do anything else.  That will allow you to feel more in control and less exhausted at the end of the day.

Make yourself the priority.  Take some time and actually schedule the break into your day.  Learn to say “no” to things that do not serve you. (This is a big one for me).  I know that you can’t always say no to clients and patients during your workday, but if you control your schedule before and after work, you will feel better and less exhausted. 

Compliment and appreciate your fellow team members.  When you are on the look out for positive things in your workplace, you will procure a better attitude towards it.  Feelings of gratitude for your team and work environment are the polar opposite of stress and burn out.  Look for reasons to be grateful and your mind will turn from noticing the negatives to appreciating the positives.  Fire up your gratitude and challenge your attitude to drive it in a positive direction.

If you have to think each day anyway, you might as well think like a positive, self-confident, grateful, competent, bad ass veterinarian.    

Managing your thinking  will have your feelings of burnout and stress turning into excitement and joy that you get to work as a veterinarian.  

 Dr. Julie Cappel