Whose Body is it Anyway?
I used to work at Mayo Clinic.
It was like ‘Disneyland for Doctors’ I was told.
And it was - in the sense that all the treats you could desire were on hand - if by ‘treats’ you meant you could order any clinical test under the sun…
And we helped many families.
And I am honoured to have worked there, at such a wonderful institution.
And yet…
Reading this article reminded me of the human cost working in healthcare can bring, be it in the US or in the NHS - more so of course, because of the pandemic.
My sense is, that the existence outlined in this article is common among healthcare professionals.
Existing at work, while being in a constant state of hyper-arousal, always waiting for the next emergency.
Existing at work, while ignoring the basic signals from our bodies - to eat, to wee, to drink, to rest.
Not universal, thankfully, but common.
Case in point: I love dance.
So much so I was a dance teaching assistant, but I gave it all up on entry to medical school, because - that’s what you did - right?
I then proceeded to continue in this vein for the next 10 years;
In learning about ‘the body’ I chose repeatedly to ignore the signals from my own body.
I ignored feelings of hunger, thirst, pain and tiredness.
I ignored feelings of loss, anger and sadness. And also, sometimes, of joy and pride.
Not surprising then, that down the line I ignored the next signal from my body - this time it was grinding my teeth so often I cracked a molar.
I didn’t realise until I recovered that this had been a warning sign.
A warning I was heading into burnout.
Of course, these were mostly all my choices; though at the time I didn’t realise that either.
Now, I work to empower others to listen to themselves and exercise their own unique choices.
Re-connecting with our own bodies can be a really great place to start listening to ourselves.
You can use formal practices like mindfulness or yoga, or more informal ones…
…how about - simply drinking when you are thirsty?
You are nourishing yourself - literally and metaphorically.
How do you listen to the signals from your body?
And with that - I’m off to have a cup of tea - as that’s what I need right now ☺
Explore more:
Click here for more on the author and a US based medical storytelling community.
Thrive Workshop
I am launching my first open access Thrive Workshop!
It’s a great opportunity to develop tools to sustain your wellbeing despite everything going on.
I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes
“It’s what you do right now that makes a difference.”
I’d love to know your thoughts on this. Send me an email! I’m on theworkingwellexperience@gmail.com
