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Wellness

What Do I Really Want From Vet Medicine?

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I’ll admit it, I’m one of those people who wanted to be a veterinarian since I knew I had to have a “grown-up job.” I read James Herriot over and over as a kid and had high expectations for what life would be like once I “made it.” I was devasted to learn that it was only loosely based on true stories. (That wasn’t even his real name!) I still thought my first job out of school, mixed practice in Northwestern Ontario, would be about as close as life could get to that countryside dream. I was probably right. And I got totally burnt out.  I wanted to be everything to everybody, a “jack of all trades, master of none,” so to speak. I remember wondering, when does it get easier? NEWSFLASH: It doesn’t. We just get better.

After 4.5 years abroad, I found myself with no choice but to start life over and return to the Motherland. Thankfully, eventually, I realized that doing mixed animal practice in rural Canada, being on call 1/3 of the time and living really far away from my family, were not things that I wanted to do. Plus, I’m allergic to horses and I like to sleep at night. I struggled to figure out what to do next. I hadn’t realized how sad and isolated I had become until I was forced out of the situation I had created. Looking back it was the best thing that could have happened, more of a gentle nudge than a boot out of the country.

I felt like a total failure, imposter syndrome coming on hard. Then I started to ask myself, what did I really want? What did I want my life to look like?  Veterinarian is my job title and something I worked really hard to become, but it is not who I am. Who was I then? What parts of me had I left behind in order to follow that dream?  How could I get that back? What did I have to do to feel whole? 

The first step was to take radical responsibility for where I was at. To accept that I was the only one who really had any control over where I had been and where I was going. I needed to stop blaming those around me for the situation I found myself in. And I needed help. I started to think about my goals, what I wanted to learn about, where I wanted to be in 5, 10, 15 years.  What was I passionate about? What were my deepest desires? What was I afraid of?

I started to look at all of the things that I had set aside in order to become a veterinarian, the things I was running away from when I decided to move to Canada and homestead in the middle of nowhere. The things that followed me there and back, the things on the inside that were keeping me from being happy. For months, I spoke to a therapist using an app called Talkspace, unpacking my pain and learning to sit with my shadows. I began to identify my strengths and create the life I wanted to live. 

During the following two and a half years in a rural small animal practice, I made the choice to start moving towards my dreams, to do things for me and redefine what veterinary medicine looked like to me. I learned that all the yoga and meditation in the world wouldn’t solve my problems. I learned to grow from my emotions and stress, to see things from different perspectives, to love myself without judgement and funnel my energy into work that feeds my soul. I also learned to set boundaries, say no and finally figure out what all that “you can’t pour from an empty cup” stuff means.

I realized I really loved helping the old critters and the people who loved them.  I learned more about the growing field of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, joined the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care and found a community of professionals with similar interests and goals.  I just finished Hospice and Palliative Care Certification. Last the summer I moved back to my favorite city and started a branch of an established at home euthanasia practice.  

I am launching the next chapter of my career and focusing on end of life conversations, mental health and the human-animal bond. I am drawing my collaborators closer and finding magic all around me to create a life I don’t want to escape from. I still love veterinary medicine because I have been able to make it mine, to make it work for me within my framework of the world. 

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.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Your Veterinary Hospital

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Okay, I admit it, I drank the Marie Kondo Kool-Aid and, like Colbert said on her Late Show appearance, given the chance, I would probably follow Marie Kondo to her cult compound and stay with her forever. Recently, I moved into a very small home. I was already on board with a more minimalist lifestyle, but now I was forced to live it. I purged a lot of things. Let go of a lot of guilt about letting go, and I am so much happier with less. The thing is, once you start to Marie Kondo one aspect of your life, you want to Marie Kondo all aspects of your life. Everywhere I look, I see clutter and I want it to go away. I think the clutter in veterinary hospitals could use some attention.

Think about your workplace. Now, if you can, think of what it was like the day the hospital opened, or try to imagine it. Imagine it without all of the notices taped (Taped! Who does this?) to the once pristine hospital walls, the posters from drug companies and prescription dog food companies, the pictures, the memes, the thank you cards, books, the random shit that people didn’t want anymore so they bring it to work, or stuff that just got forgotten there and left to die. The KonMari method goes in order: clothes, books, paper, kimono and sentimental items. Let’s do this. I promise it will only hurt a bit.

Okay, so let’s start with clothing.

How many stained or light greyish lab coats with missing buttons or tears do you have? How many pairs of scrubs that don’t match and are faded and ill-fitting do you have there? Do they spark joy for you? Do they? Do you keep them around “just in case” you might need them one day? I promise, by the time you do, your nice scrubs will be old and you can use those ones. How many pairs of shoes are hanging out that don’t have owners? 

Next up is books.

How many textbooks do you have lying around that are over 5 years old? They need to go and you need to get new ones. Consider getting e-books if you can. Everything else that is not a current textbook needs to go. Proceedings from NAVC 2006? Bin them. Proceedings are available on VIN and, here’s an insider academic secret, proceedings are usually pretty crappy. They are written months before the speaker actually has time to work on their talk, usually under duress and after many grumpy reminder emails from the conference organizers, threatening to withhold $50 of the $250 stipend for the lecture if they don’t comply. I don’t recommend using proceedings as references. They just aren’t that good, and I’m saying this as someone who has written a lot of them. And I’m sorry.

Papers are next.

Papers are a bit like books. All the crap and papers from industry? Let them go. Industry peeps, I’m begging you, please stop with all the binders, put that shit on-line. Look at your bulletin boards. If there is a notice for a “Lunch and Learn” from 6 months ago, you can probably take that down now. The binders of manuals for equipment? Most of that is on-line too and I am guessing some of those manuals are for items that you no longer use that are in boxes being stored just in case you need them one day. So maybe have a bulletin board for current fun things and switch it up every month? If you keep the same stuff on display, no one will look at it because they get fatigued from looking at it and then you aren’t really displaying it anymore, you are just creating clutter.

Then there is Komono.

I think that is Japanese for sh#t that you don’t know what to do with. A lot of this is the swag, but it is also equipment that has ceased to be useful and had been replaced, but you didn’t get rid of the old one “just in case.” Even if it doesn’t really work. This stuff is cluttering up your hospital and it needs to go. If it is useful equipment, it may help a colleague, maybe sell it on Craig’s list or send it to a developing country. If it is not useful enough to do this, then it is not useful sitting in a box or on a shelf and cluttering up your workspace. How many times have you gone back and busted out that old equipment? I am going to guess never. Even if it is only once, it is not worth the real estate it is taking up. 

To our pharmaceutical and veterinary diet industry friends, please stop with the useless swag. Just stop. You are wasting paper, filling the world with plastic, and making our hospitals look tacky. There, I said it. If you must give us swag and gifts, please make it something useful. Here are things we need: pens and highlighters. We also like food. That’s about it. You can put your website address on the pen so we can find all of the information that you want us to have. I bet that would save your company a lot of money, too. You’re welcome. Please just stop with the stress balls (they are stressing me out), crappy T-Shirts, cell phone cases, the sticky suction things to put on our cell phone cases, the calendars, the charts that you want us to put on the wall, the binders (see above). If you must bring us things, maybe make them consumable things that will go away once your memory fades. I bet you could get nice chocolates with your logo on them. Or a cake. A cake would be great. 

Now let’s venture, if you dare, into the break room.

It is a bit like the kitchen section at a thrift store, but not nearly as nice as that. This is where all of the plastic cutlery goes to die. Mostly knives. There are a lot of plastic knives here, not so many forks. There is also the Keurig that was so popular just a few years ago that no one buys K-cups for anymore, the holder for the K-cups that sits empty on the counter collecting dust, a sandwich press, loose leaf tea (but no strainer to make it with), lots of coffee cups, lots of paper cups, paper plates and napkins from pizza lunches past, Tupperware containers that are missing their lids (so they are no longer containers, really) or lids that don’t have bottoms (also not really lids any more), maybe a crockpot, and some sort of plug-in grill. The microwave will work (sort-of), but it may be missing the spinny glass plate thing because someone broke it. The inside of the microwave will certainly be caked with splattered with food on the inside because no one heeds the angry sign that has been taped to the wall beside it saying “cover your food!.” There will be some inexplicable dirty dishes in the sink (How? Why?) There will be straws, sugar packets and a random assortment of sauces and condiments in every drawer, in no particular order.

Then there are the seasonal decorations.

I’m sure this comes as no surprise now that you are this far through this article, but I am a bit of a grinch in this area too. I like hospitals to look like hospitals, not like a craft store. That is just me. If you must put up seasonal decorations, keep it classy and minimal. Also, when the holiday is over TAKE THEM DOWN AND PUT THEM AWAY. Yes, I am yelling this part. 

Then, there are the sentimental items.

These are always hard to decide what to do with. The gifts, shared memories and pictures. Hopefully, you are now adept at deciding what you need to keep and what gifts and memories you can just keep in your heart, without the physical reminders of the time and place. One good rule of thumb is that if you would not proudly display this item in your living room, or pass it around to the different people that work at your hospital to display at home like the Stanley Cup, don’t put it up at work. What about all of the cards from clients? Well, that depends on how you feel about them. Pure KonMari would say that you take in the gratitude and the sentiment from this client taking the time to send you a card and then you let it go. However, some veterinarians really cherish these cards and like to go back to them on bad days because they spark joy. That is great. You have a few options: you can make a scrapbook of them for people to look over when they are on break, you can take pictures of them and make an electronic library of pictures and cards, or you can share them on your clinic Facebook group so that everyone gets to see them. But if you have faded cards taped (Again, taped!) to your wall that are from years ago, for pets that you don’t remember and addressed to veterinarians and staff who don’t even work there anymore, then displaying them is likely having the opposite effect than what was intended. It is just sad.

Maybe you are so busy that you don’t even notice all of the clutter, or that you don’t have time to deal with it. Maybe you think that you don’t care about the clutter. Subconsciously, I promise that you are noticing it and it is affecting you. It is making your hectic days feel more hectic because to some, clutter is like visual noise. It is affecting your mood. It is making you feel busier and less calm. Now take a deep breath and imagine what your hospital could look like without all of the clutter. Clean countertops, organized shelves, drawers with the items you need at your fingertips, and the ability to sit down and just work.

I challenge you to declutter your hospital.

Make it cleaner and more organized and easier for you and your coworkers to navigate. I challenge the industry to stop giving us swag and crap that we don’t want or need. You can do better. We can do better. Let’s do this.

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.

Hate It or Love It: My First 6 Years After Vet School

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I used to HATE my life as a practicing veterinarian.

For three long years after graduating, I just knew I had messed up in my career choice.

What’s interesting is that I loved most parts of my job:

  • My boss
  • My coworkers
  • My hospital
  • The clients
  • The pets
  • The cases
  • The benefits
  • The competitive pay

The caseload – especially for a new grad – was a bit high: 25-35 cases/day, which led to longer than desirable after-hours experiences.

I was producing and performing well as a veterinarian, but I just wasn’t fulfilled, ya know?

Let’s not forget the personal struggles. I was gaining a lot of weight from the alcohol and excessive eating – I was literally ripping my pants in the exam room. I lost 3 uncles in a year and a half. My marriage was struggling. I thought life sucked!

While it was easy for me to blame the hospital, the caseload, other people, etc., I eventually learned that there was a HUGE “me” component that I was leaving out!

I explain in detail in, The Major Key to Your Veterinary Wellbeing is You!

I realized that it wasn’t the work environment alone that was making me miserable.

When I addressed the “me” component, my wellbeing changed for the better and in direct proportion to the effort I put forth in developing myself and pursuing wellbeing!

Long story short, I overcame my burnout in a very scientific and strategic way.

I learned some AMAZING life principles and acquired some highly effective life tools, and now, I feel that life and vet med are both pretty awesome! 

Overcoming Self-Shame

I really wanted to share my story of overcoming burnout, alcohol abuse, and suicidal ideation, but I was scared.

In 2017, I had an opportunity to share my story in front of a group who consisted of many of my veterinary mentors, veterinarians I went to school with, and students who looked up to me.

I was afraid of what people – my people – would think of my ultimate failure as a veterinarian. I was afraid of being judged as an alcohol abuser. I was mortified.

“Do you think I should tell them the full story?” I asked my wife, who is also a veterinarian and a 2013 graduate of Tuskegee’s CVM. She assured me I should!

I remembered the words of some wise person, “Screw it. Just do it!” And so I did. 

Embrace Your Struggle

I stood in front of the audience. I told my story. I was scared. But I shared my story along with some of the key principles, tools, and strategies I used to rid myself of burnout.

Surprisingly, people were moved and inspired!

One vet, who was in his 80s, told me that he wished he had heard my message 50 years ago.

Several students approached me afterward, said they could relate, and thanked me for being vulnerable. I am proud to say that 2 years after giving that first talk, I’ve now shared my story over 40 times at various veterinary conferences, pre-veterinary schools, veterinary schools, and even in veterinary hospitals!

Lesson learned: You don’t have to be ashamed of your past. Face your fears. Embrace your story. Learn from it. Grow from it!

I now view my struggle as one of my greatest life experiences. 

Don’t Just Love It, Be an Ambassador!

In truth, the veterinary profession is pretty awesome – even with its challenges!

As someone once said, “It’s done unto you, as you have believed.”

Whatever we fully believe with thought, emotion, and conviction eventually becomes our reality. Even if a thing isn’t factually true, our belief will make it so.

What is your core belief about vet med? Is your experience reflecting that belief?

I heartily endorse vet med to those who are interested. I explain the challenges to be expected: student loans, euthanasias, clients who sometimes slander, and clients who frequently can’t afford treatment. I also assure them that they can mitigate the chances of poor wellbeing by taking deliberate and massive action. 

I’m now a life-long ambassador of our great profession!

2 Powerful Tools to Help You Love It

Here are 2 (of the many) things that I believe can change any veterinary professional’s quality of life for the better: 

  1. Learn personal development 

If you’ve never gone on a personal development journey, you’ll find that it’s probably the simplest and most fun way to create the life you want for yourself.

“Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.” – John C. Maxwell

  1. Learn mindfulness and meditation

They’re evidence-based, scientifically proven to be effective, free, and readily available to ANY person at almost ANY time… they’re super-skills! 

Give them a try, and I’m sure you’ll rekindle your LOVE for vet med and its challenges!

In summary, I challenge you to go from ‘Hate It’ to ‘Love It.’ I challenge you to embrace your story and stop shaming yourself for your past. I challenge you to share your stories of trial and triumph, as you never know who you may empower. I challenge you to be an ambassador for this amazing profession, and last, but not least, I challenge you to go on a personal development and mindfulness journey to achieve a fulfilling veterinary and human experience!

Quincy Hawley DVM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Quincy Hawley is a graduate of NC State’s CVM. He is co-founder of Get MotiVETed (a company dedicated to making poor wellbeing in the veterinary profession a thing of the past), and he enjoys general practice, writing, and speaking on the subject of wellbeing! He volunteers his time as a member of NC State’s Admissions Committee and as the President of the NC Association of Minority Veterinarians – a 501-3c dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion!

6 Steps to Better Resolutions

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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.

How to Avoid Answer Exhaustion

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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.

It’s Easy to Say “Be Kind” But What is Kindness?

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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.