Taking Care of Ourselves and Each Other
Much has been written about deficit in personal resilience as a cause of clinician burnout, but research continues to show that physicians are no less resilient than the general population. Many clinician well-being researchers believe that a lack of self-compassion is a larger driver of burnout, and self-compassion is a skill that can be learned and taught to others. Self-compassion can also be a useful lens through which to view our work as Well-being Champions, especially in a year that saw many Champions dealing with an increase in clinical responsibilities, lack of child and elder care resources, and concerns about our own physician and mental health, among other challenges.
Part of moving toward a more self-compassionate mindset is learning to ask for help when we need it, including seeking mental health care. There are many free crisis and counseling support options open to frontline clinicians, including For the Frontlines, Therapy Aid Coalition, The Physician Support Line, and The Emotional PPE Project. We encourage you and your colleagues to take advantage of these resources if you need help. Those in acute distress can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or crisis text line at 741-741. We invite you to support the Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to help break the stigma of seeking mental health treatment among health care professionals and to utilize mental health resources published by the AMA, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, and ACP.
Check out the links below for more resources you can use for yourself or to help others. Please note that you will need to be signed in to ACP Online for links to function:
- Watch new ACP well-being webinars.
- Learn more about self-compassion and emotional intelligence, listen to Well-being Champion Fariha Shafi discuss physician suicide, get tips on managing mental health during the pandemic, and check out other noteworthy resources.
- Reflect on 2020 and look forward to 2021 with Well-being Champion Dr. Brian Lich
- Read insights into physician burnout from a leading researcher, learn more about peer support programs, discover tips for balancing the roles of physician and caregiver, and find other newsworthy articles.
- Review ACP's latest administrative and regulatory relief advocacy, including arguing for a delay in information blocking compliance dates, citing the undue burden placed on overtaxed practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As always, please join us on Twitter at #dontworryalone, post in your ACP Champion forum, and reach out to us any time at acpwellbeing@acponline.org.
Sincerely,
Your ACP Well-being Team
Please log your Well-being Champion activities in your new and improved Well-being Champion Activities Tracker!