The other day I was walking around town listening to a podcast🚶🏽♂️when I heard something that kind of messed with my head😵💫.
"The work won't love you back."
The podcast was A Slight Change of Plans by cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar, and she was interviewing actor Riz Ahmed.
Ahmed was discussing a recent role in a movie🎬 when he started talking about the idea of working to the point of physical and emotion exhaustion😫. "At some point" Ahmed says, "you realize the work won't love you back".
My mind immediately jumped to the thought of a career in medicine🩺.
Being a medical student, doctor, or other healthcare professional can be challenging. The hours are long, the job can be thankless, and the journey is filled with emotional hardship, self-doubt, and countless other issues😞.
All that being said, at the end of the day a career in medicine can still be incredibly rewarding🌟. But no matter how hard you work or how many hours you put in, the medicine still won't love you back💔.
Instead of this notion making us feel depressed or regretful, however, we should feel empowered.
The moment we understand that the work won’t love us back is the moment we can make ourselves more of a priority🥇.
As burnout and fatigue run rampant in medicine, it’s important for us to stay well if we want to stay in this profession⚖️. That means small acts like taking time to eat and drink while on shift🍔 or giving ourselves a moment to process after dealing with a difficult case💭.
Equally important are the bigger items like making time for friends and family and finding hobbies that give us a sense of balance and accomplishment outside of medicine🎯.
Although the work might not love us back, it creates for us the opportunity to love and look after ourselves🧡. By doing so, we can provide higher quality care to our patients and live happier, more fulfilling lives.
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