Wellness

The holidays are hard. The hospital is busy, you are busy, and everyone has expectations of how the holidays are supposed to be. Notoriously, it’s also the season for goal setting, reflection, and resolutions. The combination can be more than anyone should have to face but we struggle to do it every year and it’s often a topic of conversation around the cookie and candy-laden conference tables in hospitals, after all, it’s the perfect setting to talk about losing 10lbs starting January 1st.

I’m going to invite you to bring a different vibe to the process this year, in fact, I challenge you to bring this to your December or January team meetings. We are going to make this simple, positive, and fun.

Write a list of 10 or more things you DID in 2019.  

This can be big or small, work or personal. A few things from my accomplished in 2019 list include:  swimming with manta rays in Hawaii, reading two or more books per month, road trip to the Grand Canyon, and finally doing the touch-up paint in the house. Yes, your accomplishments can include vacations, being there for baseball practice, and household projects that got finished (and that can include hiring someone to do the work). Spend a few minutes with this completed list and feel the accomplishment. You did well. 

Write a list of 3 things you wanted to do but didn’t in 2019.

This can be big or small, work or personal. The items on my not accomplished in 2019 list are:  Following through on an exercise program for three months, completing the Neil Gaiman Master Class, and setting a personal budget. Take a few minutes to look at this list and really consider three things. First, do they all fit into a particular category? For me, they all fit into wellbeing, physical, creative, and financial wellbeing. Second, ask yourself if you made progress on any of them.  If you did, celebrate the progress. Third, ask yourself if they still matter to you. If they don’t. Let them go. If they do, then ask yourself who can help you accomplish those things.

Write a list 10 or more things you want to DO in 2020

Don’t limit yourself here. This can be big or small, work or personal. A few things from my want to do in 2020 include completing a sleep study, reading two or more books a month, and increasing my flexibility in order to touch my toes.

Use Categories to create your list

You’ll notice that these happen to fall into wellbeing – because clearly that’s important to me so I made sure to dedicate a chunk of my want-to-do list to that. Some other specific categories that you might want to consider are Personal, Professional, Home, Family, Friends, Finance, and Fun. 

Pick 10 to 20 things for your 2020 List

Try to include something from every category on your list, something easy, something hard, something you love, and something new! 

Share your list

Share your list! If you can share your list with your teammates, friends, and/or family you’ll have the encouragement of others and a little positive peer pressure. Nothing is more helpful than that random text message or phone call asking how you’ve done on scheduling that vacation for the first time in five years! I love to borrow from the lists of friends. What did I borrow for 2020?  I’m so glad you asked. I’m writing a thank you card a week in 2020 rather than just journaling about gratitude. I think I’ll start with you. Thank you for reading and for being willing to try something new, to encourage others, and most of all, for being proud of yourself.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

I have this theory and I have tested it extensively. Simply put, there is a limit to how many questions I can answer in a day. Personally, I am able to answer 76.5 questions, before I go into answer exhaustion. 

I’m kidding about knowing how many answers I have in a day, but for certain, there is a limit. 

Each day, it’s my hope and prayer not to reach my quota in the final hour of the workday or just as I arrive home. 

Running out of answers too early isn’t fair to my team, my family or myself.

For example, if I run out of answers and the receptionist comes to me with, 

“Doctor, Mr. Jones has a question about his dog licking his neuter incision.”

I can hear you answering in your head…

’Tell him to come in for a cone, ’ or ‘see if one of the technicians is free to guide him through this crisis.’ 

… but you are wrong, as remember, I’m already in answer exhaustion.

So, my brain clicks into defensive-anger, and I spurt out, 

“I told Mr. Jones to take the head cone and he said ‘no, my dog hates the cone’.

Well, sure they suck, but so does a scrotal infection! 

Why can’t people just listen?” as I stomp to the phone, put on a fake voice and take the call. 

Not only am I not being genuine, but I’m modeling the kind of behavior we’ve been team building for months to avoid in our practice.

Excuse me while I bash my head on the table.

Furthermore, as much as you don’t want to run out of answers at work, you especially don’t want to run out at home.

Child: “Mom, what’s for dinner?”

Me: “I don’t know.”

Child: “How about smarties… on pancakes… with pop?”

Me (in a state of answer exhaustion): “Sounds good, honey.”

In order to avoid further disaster, here are some tips from the trenches.

1. Take breaks

To learn how I might stretch out my answer quota for the day, I called a good friend and mindfulness/yoga guru; Dr. Gwen June, Past President of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association and practicing veterinarian in Windsor, Ontario.

Gwen offered this advice, 

“When it’s busy and getting overwhelming, I pay attention to my breathing and take a full breath to help me get grounded for the next patient/client.”

So, let’s remember the basics everyone;

– breathe

– go pee (yes, you are allowed to use the bathroom during the day)

– drink a glass of water

– take another breath

2. Learn your limits

When you’ve spent your answer quota for the day, think about it, and try to remember how it felt just before you hit your threshold. In this way, you can do your best to avoid hitting the wall again.

Then it’s time to employ a simple, yet powerful statement. 

“I don’t think I have anything left. Can someone else possibly help you?”

Give yourself a break. It is PERFECTLY OKAY not to be everything to everyone in every moment.

3. Tag

Did you ever consider that maybe you don’t need to have all the answers? 

Dalia Gough, practice owner and amazing veterinarian at the Grimsby Animal Hospital, suggests leaning on the answers already at your fingertips. 

“I’m big on resources like Life Learn Client Education articles and VIN articles. These help me in case I forget something. Also, they help to personalize the discussion and gives the client more to engage in at home.” 

4. Practice curiosity 

No matter what, sometimes there are questions destined to push you over the threshold.

Regardless of the nature, before you lose your crackers, Teressa Jonescu a coach with Veterinary Purchasing offers the following advice. 

“Practice ‘curiosity before judgment’. It’s very helpful when you are faced with an amygdala hijack. It’s probably the best coaching I have ever been given personally or professionally AND it works. As I feel the well running dry, if I can take a step back and start asking myself some questions or even better start asking the person who is draining my energy some good questions, the water miraculously starts to flow again.’

In conclusion, as you become a master of awareness and are effectively managing your answer quota for the day, remember your team.  

One of the best ways to restock your answer quota is to do something kind for another. 

If you see your work buddy is close to running out of answers, offer to take that phone call for them. After all, we’re in this together.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Curtin practices veterinary medicine in Bruce County, Ontario, close to her family’s poultry and cash crop farm, where she lives with her husband, two children, three cats and two destructive dogs. In Dr. Curtin’s writing, animals play important characters, just as often as people.

Today is World Kindness Day. Taglines about kindness are everywhere: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind,” “It doesn’t cost anything to be kind,” and “Practice random acts of kindness” are just a few examples. Ellen Degeneres has an entire line of products, including T-shirts, socks, mugs and even shoelaces with the simple phrase “Be Kind.” 

What is kindness?

If you search online, you will find many definitions for kindness including “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate,” “acts of goodwill,” and “a behavior marked by ethical considerations, a pleasant disposition, and concern and consideration for others.” My favorite definition is from the Urban Dictionary: “respect and helping others without waiting for someone to help back.” True kindness is doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return.

How does kindness apply to veterinary medicine?

The field is already filled with some of the kindest and most compassionate people you will ever meet. We have devoted our lives to helping animals who can’t say thank you and sometimes don’t even appreciate our help.  But people in the veterinary field also suffer from stress, burn out and long days with little free time. Some days we can barely keep our heads above water, how do we have time to perform acts of kindness?

Kindness doesn’t have to be a grand gesture.

Many times it isn’t. I remember a day this summer when our clinic was crazy busy. We were short-staffed and double booked. It was midafternoon and we weren’t sure how we were going to make it to the end of the day. The door chimed again and we groaned at the thought of another appointment. But instead of a sick patient, it was the husband of one of our former technicians. He had driven by and seen all the cars outside the clinic. He knew how stressed his wife used to get on days like this and he also knew our favorite way of coping with stress – CHOCOLATE! It took maybe ten minutes and $5 for him to drive to the nearest store and buy us a bag of Hershey kisses but his little gesture had a huge impact on our day. The mood around the clinic instantly lifted. Someone noticed we were having a bad day and performed a small but meaningful act of kindness to brighten our day.

I also remember a day this summer when I chose to be kind. It was another busy day. I was scheduled to only work half a day and leave at noon, but it was close to 1 PM by the time I wrapped things up. I was tired and hungry and just wanted to get on with all the nonveterinary things I had planned for my afternoon.

I was gathering my things and noticed two clients with their stressed-out chihuahua sitting in the waiting room. The clients had a scheduled appointment with the other veterinarian at 10:30 AM. I asked the receptionist if everything went alright with their appointment because they were still in the waiting room, even though it was supposed to be just a quick follow up exam. She said the appointment went fine but their car had broken down and they were waiting for a tow truck. Although they appeared to be waiting patiently, I knew they must be frustrated and as eager to get home as I was, especially with a nervous chihuahua sitting in their lap. So I pushed my desire to run out the door aside and offered to give them a ride home. After trying to decline my offer and me assuring them I wanted to do it, they finally agreed. I took the husband and their nervous chihuahua home while the wife decided she would stay and wait for the tow truck. They were so relieved to bring their scared little dog home and for the husband to get back to work. The drive to their house was fifteen minutes out of my way, but it was worth it. All of the stress of the morning melted away and I felt good about myself knowing I had helped make someone’s bad day a little better.

I know how busy veterinary clinics are and, although these examples took less than fifteen minutes, sometimes we just don’t have that amount of time or energy. But there are so many little things we can do to be kind. All it takes is to stop focusing on ourselves and notice the needs of others.

Here are a few examples to remember:

• Help an elderly lady carry her cat carrier to her car.
• Open the door for the client who has his hands full with two big dogs pulling on their leashes.
• The overweight kitty with mats along his back because he can’t reach to clean and his owner can’t brush it out without getting bit – grab the wireless clipper and shave the mats.
• A mom brings her young child to the appointment and the child is getting restless – give her some crayons and ask her to draw a picture of her pet.
• Another child brought a stuffed animal with him – give the stuffed animal a quick physical exam and tell the child his stuffed tiger is healthy.
• Your client doesn’t understand how to sign up for the online rebate program – enroll them as they are checking out.
• Your client has her arm in a sling. Ask her how she feeling and if she is going to be able to give her cat the medication or if we need to come up with another plan.
• You are going for a coffee run on your break – ask your co-worker who was up all night with a sick child if she wants you to pick her up a latte.

These are just a few examples of small acts of kindness that take seconds but can make a difference in someone’s day. Today is World Kindness Day. I hope you take a minute to forget about your own stresses and notice the needs of others. Not only will it brighten someone else’s day, but it will also help lift your spirits knowing you did something kind, expecting nothing in return. Once you realize how good it feels to be kind, you may find yourself practicing random acts of kindness every day!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.