Very happy to be involved in the 10 Year Anniversary Conference of the Practitioner Health Program.
At the wonderful RCGP Headquarters in Euston Square, professionals from healthcare are sharing their experiences.
This two-day Summit brings together those who work in a variety of healthcare environments, but with a specific focus on doctors. The discussions have centered on the factors that drive doctors to burnout, addiction and suicide as well as what can be done. On the list includes:
- lack of dedicated eating spaces for doctors to sit and connect (very important for the “tribe” to support one another and for informal peer support).
- relentless and pointless changes to record keeping (electronic records deemed not fit for purpose)
- low control coupled with high responsibility
- fear of litigation and complaints
- money as the driver of medicine
In the Mindfulness session, Dr. Tamara Russell and Dr. Stephanie Jackson will share insights and tools to support mindful working in the medical environment. The Transitional Pause is a key applied mindfulness tool that can help to create space and time in a relentless day.
This simple but profound practice gets easier and richer the more you do it. It is augmented by a formal mindfulness training. But there is nothing to stop you having a go RIGHT NOW.
You can try with the audio below or even with just three breaths.
- Breathing in, breathing out – investigate your body and warmly welcome any sensations or emotions that are there. Welcome them all (even the unpleasant ones). The task is not to fix things but to get data about what’s going on and minimize reactivity.
- Breathing in, breathing out – sense your feet on the floor, your bum on the chair and the breath as it moves through your body.
- Breathing in, breathing out – what is important now? What is the next activity and which brain mode will help you the most RIGHT NOW? Is this a time for technical mind or relationship mode? Doctors are highly trained in the technical side of things, but modern medicine requires more relational skills than ever before.
This training can help you to manage your mind, select the most appropriate mode for the task at hand and work in efficient, brain-wise ways.
Love your brain, love your body – then do your work!
A 4-mins transitional pause
Transitional Pause worksheet.
A live report from the conference …..
Posted by Tamara Russell on Thursday, 4 October 2018
Workshops and on-line training are available. Contact admin@drtamararussell.com for more information.