I recently gave a talk at the Victorian Urology meeting on work life balance. As it is predominantly a trainee meeting I focussed on practical ways in which they can structure their lives to make less less stressful. One of the big stressors in all of our lives is the feeling of rush, busyness and simply not having enough time. When you feel rushed and under pressure it squeezes the joy out of your life. Under stress you are more likely to be irritable, snappy and reactive in all your dealings.

Of course when you are in the training program there are certain limitations on what you can do about this. You simply have to dig in your heels and get through. If you are an employee, there are limitations also. But it’s essential to find creative ways of establishing a pleasant and peaceful work space and routine. This might means taking a 5 minute break every hour of work, standing up and stretching, meditating, or going for a walk at lunchtime.

The advice I gave the trainees is to schedule their consultations in such a way that there is no sense of pressure or rush. Generally 30 minutes for a new patient and 15 minutes for review is ample time. The biggest complaint of patients towards their doctors is that their doctor seemed rushed and didn’t spend enough time. By allocating more time, you don’t feel pressured and that makes every consultation feel useful, productive and helpful for the patient. I also advocate scheduling  1 or 2 buffer sessions into the week. This may be a morning or afternoon off where you can pursue a hobby (for me that’s golf), go get a haircut, visit the bank or have lunch with your partner.

Work can be stressful. That’s a fact. But if you set up a schedule that actually promotes calm, you will be much better placed to handle stress when it does arise.

It’s really easy, but it’s amazing how difficult it can be also!

Good luck

In Health and Wellness

Ranjit