What do you need to hear today?

Bad day, overwhelmed, tired, frustrated?

Feel alone?

It's easy to do that isn't it.

What you are going through can feel heavy, tense, frustrating, hard, and never ending.

When we keep it to ourselves, guess what? It gets bigger.

Soon we are thinking that nothing's going right, that you are never going to win, that it's never going to get better.

What can you do when this is happening?

1. Talk it out: Friend, colleague, coach, spouse, physician support line.

When we can see a commonality we realize we are not alone, our struggles are common. That there is NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.  

You are not broken. The system isn't a complete disaster.

Getting help gets you perspective. It breaks the spell and stops the suffocation.

2. Write it Down: Seeing our thoughts on paper can also break the spell.

In our head we can sound like rock stars, the world's best speaker or the world's biggest failure. The good news is that these are all just thoughts. All optional.

Our thoughts are just that - thoughts.

They are not FACTS. They are simply the sentences you are using to explain something.

Write them down. Getting them out of your head lets you see them from a different perspective. You get to evaluate what's in your head - scary at first! 

Now evaluate all of them. Is that true? Why would you want to think that? What else is true? What would I choose to think instead that might reduce my suffering?

3. CALM YOUR SYSTEM: My sleep coach taught me that guided relaxation was used by emergency physicians and fighter pilots to help them fall asleep within 3 minutes, in case they only got one hour before it was go time again.

Download a 10-minute guided relaxation that you like. Plan to practice it dozens of times when you are MOST RELAXED and not to fall asleep at bedtime (at least initially). You will teach your brain to calm down that stress response. Once you have practised enough, you can start to do mini-relaxation. Try it for 60 seconds while you are on the phone, relaxing your stress response at the same time.

Best multitasking life hack ever! GAME CHANGER!

Did you know that there is even a guided relaxation Barbie now?  Our kids might have a chance of growing up knowing some of these fundamental self-care strategies!!

This week inside Charting Champions multiple physicians gave feedback on HOW VALUABLE it is to HEAR OTHER PHYSICIANS get coached. They resonate with the physicians struggles and find it so helpful to hear strategies for overcoming frustrations and obstacles.

Inside the Charting Champions community we are helping each other come up with ways to get home earlier and with everything done.

This is a powerful space for these physicians, and you can join in!

You haven't missed out on anything because all the replays are inside ready for you when you join.

I would love to help you start feeling better and more in control.

xx Sarah, the Charting Coach.