Stress. It’s a constant hum in the background of our lives, sometimes roaring into the foreground when life gets overwhelming. You’ve probably felt it: the racing heart, the tightness in your chest, the restless nights. But what if I told you that stress isn’t just the enemy? Our autonomic nervous system is designed to help […]
More than a Moment: Making Gratitude Stick. Gratitude feels great in the moment. You pause, you notice something good, you feel your shoulders drop a little. That short-term effect matters. It can decrease stress, calm your nervous system, and pull you out of the free fall of a rough day. But there’s a deeper version […]
Moving From Understanding to Action Last week, we explored how gratitude isn’t just an emotion, it’s neuroscience. When we truly experience gratitude, the medial prefrontal cortex lights up, serotonin and oxytocin increase, and inflammatory markers decrease. Gratitude literally rewires the brain, shifting us from survival mode into connection and meaning. But understanding the science is […]
Beyond the Buzzword Gratitude. It’s a concept we all know, often tossed around as a cure-all for stress, unhappiness, and burnout. For many of us in medicine, it sounds hollow. A nice idea, but not a fix for a broken healthcare system. But what if we’ve misunderstood gratitude all along? What if it’s not supposed […]
Because sometimes the scariest thing isn’t what’s chasing you — it’s what you’re avoiding. It Starts Early Plug in a nightlight. Hide under the blanket. Cover your eyes during the scary part of the movie. As children, we’re taught that the answer to fear is avoidance. Run. Hide. Don’t look. Admit fear, and you risk […]
No matter how my day goes, coming home to my dogs always lifts my spirits. They greet me with such joy that it’s impossible not to feel happier. Whatever I faced at work, whether good or bad, melts away. I talk to my dogs as if they were people, asking about their day, even though […]
What if you could be more efficient and reclaim precious hours each week without cutting corners? Most physicians solve the problem of increasing workload by increased output. The solution isn’t always about working harder, it’s about working smarter. By embracing the concept of “marginal gains,” a strategy famously used to revolutionize British Cycling, physicians can […]
Wellness-forward picks your favorite doc will actually use Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that align with The Developing Doctor’s mission: helping physicians thrive, not just survive. Why These Gifts? Doctors don’t need more […]
Have you ever felt like you’re running on a treadmill at top speed, ready to fall off at any moment? If so, you’re not alone. Burnout is a silent epidemic in medicine, and it’s affecting physicians at an alarming rate. Almost half of physicians report experiencing burnout, and that number keeps climbing. But here’s the […]
Understanding Healthcare Provider Burnout You pulled all-nighters. Missed family events. Stayed up longer than should be allowed. All in pursuit of our calling. You told yourself it was worth. That you’d be happy after the next big milestone. Now, you are wondering if it really was worth it. If you are tired of the sacrifice, […]
