7 Tips for Enhancing Work-Life Balance as a Physician

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Written By Berry Mathew

As a physician, you likely know that work-life balance is super important. 

But it can also be tough to achieve—especially when you’re constantly on call and dealing with the stress of running a practice, creating care plans, caring for patients, etc. 

So with that being said—in this blog post, we’re going to share 7 crucial tips for finding a better balance between your work and personal life. 

As a physician, you actually deserve and need to maintain a balanced life so that you can experience greater effectiveness and joy. 

But these things won’t be possible if you don’t care for yourself and balance stuff out. 

So let’s talk about how to make that happen. 

1. Set Boundaries

It’s important to set boundaries between your work and personal life. 

This could mean not checking work emails or taking work calls outside of work hours. 

It could also mean making more time for yourself, your friends, and your loved ones—even when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

2. Take Breaks

It’s actually surprisingly important to take breaks throughout the day, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time. 

Get up and move around. Get some sunlight. Close your eyes and meditate a little bit. Write a few sentences in your journal. 

Or, you can simply step outside for some fresh air. 

Taking breaks will help you to stay refreshed and focused. It’ll also help to keep you ‘sane’ as you deal with the intense demands of your job. 

3. Delegate Tasks

If you have nurses, aids, and/or other staff members who are capable of handling certain tasks, don’t be afraid to delegate some of your work to them. 

This is a must for busy doctors!

This will free up more of your valuable time so that you can focus on the most important tasks first.

4. Take Care Of Yourself

Make sure to get enough sleep, to eat healthy foods, and to exercise regularly. 

When you’re taking care of yourself, you’ll be better able to manage your time effectively and actually be present for your practice and patients.

It’s like this…

If your airplane crashes, you need to put on your oxygen mask before you can help anyone else put on theirs. 

It’s really that simple. 

So make sure to take care of yourself in all of the ways that matter—and you’ll just end up in a better place to help your patients, practice, and support staff. 

5. Find A Hobby

Having a hobby that you can engage in and look forward to on your days off can help you to relax and de-stress. 

It can also give you something social to do outside of work.

This will mean different things to different people, so you may need to experiment until you find the ‘thing’ that works best for you. 

But that’s part of the fun, right?

6. Take A Vacation

If you’re feeling burned out, stressed, closed-in, and fed up—it might be a great time to consider taking a vacation. 

A vacation can present you with an awesome opportunity to simply relax and recharge.

It can also engage your sense of adventure and really help to balance out the mundane nature of the daily work grind. 

7. Buy A Home For Added Security

As humans, we evolved to want a secure place to live and sleep. 

Buying a home using specialized mortgage loans for physicians can help to reduce the stress associated with renting and not having the security of owning your own home.

When you rent, you are at the mercy of your landlord. They can raise your rent, evict you, or sell the property at any time. 

This can be a major source of stress, especially if you have a family to support.

So consider taking the leap to become a homeowner to give yourself and your family that much-needed sense of financial security. 

Conclusion

There you have it. 

With that being said, we’d also like to leave you with one more piece of advice:

Find a support system. This could include family, friends, colleagues, or a therapist. Having people to talk to and support you can make a big difference in your ability to cope with stress and achieve balance.

Now, you know the basics of just about everything you need to know about enhancing your work-life balance as a busy physician.

Being a doctor doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve an awesome balance in your life. 

It’s time to take the initiative and help yourself for a change!

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