Want more out of life and vet med? Try this simple, 3-part wellbeing plan
Are you resentful of your veterinary career because it’s more stressful than you ever imagined it would be? Do you wish life or vet med were flat out better?
Regardless of what your answers are, there’s always room for improvement.
“It’s the small refinements upon something that’s already good that makes it great.”
Earl Nightingale
If you’re struggling right now - whether emotionally, physically, or mentally - or whether you’re struggling with personal life or work life - just know that better days are coming if you’re willing to put in a little bit of work!
You see, I know how it can be when times are dark - I’ve been there. I know how bad it can suck.
When I was having a hard time with my self-care, wellbeing, my marriage, and with managing life and vet med, I used to think that I had made the wrong choice to become a veterinarian. I was in heavy debt, I had a job I didn’t love, alcohol was my middle name, and I honestly didn’t see a clear way out.
Long story short, I overcame the struggle, but I wouldn’t wish those times on my worst enemy. Well, on second thought I probably would wish it for a few people.
I’m kidding.
All of this said, I assure you that there is opportunity in the chaos that you may be facing in life, and there are countless resources to help you find your way.
If you’ll entertain the information in this article, you’ll find a huge piece of the wellbeing, happiness, and fulfillment puzzle!
The reason I LOVE wellbeing and the study of how to prioritize, cultivate, and maintain it is because you can get it for cheap AND it is arguably the most important skill you can have!
In a previous article I wrote, I describe 3 overlooked benefits that come when you invest the time, energy, and effort into cultivating wellbeing.
In this brief article, however, you will discover 3 simple ‘to-dos’ for increasing your overall level of wellbeing, fulfillment, and inner peace in life and vet med!
Sound good? Awesome! Let’s get started!
#1 Commit to daily and deliberate wellbeing training for 2020 (and beyond)
Make the commitment to get your life to a 10 out of 10 level!
Have you ever made such a commitment? Have you written it down? Did you say it out loud? Do you repeat it daily?
You’ll have to do more than just commit, but it is a necessary part of getting your way in life and vet med.
It will require a little work for you to go and find the best resources and sources of information about your wellbeing.
There are many good books out there that can help you, but sometimes it’s hard to relate because they are NOT written by veterinary professionals - and let’s face it, we are a unique and very special group of people with a unique set of challenges that come with being in the vet profession.
If being able to relate to the people who are training you is important, then I encourage you to check out this online veterinary school of wellbeing. It’s got lots of information specifically for veterinary professionals on how to take your wellbeing to the stratosphere!
Most importantly, spend a little bit of time every single day thinking about wellbeing. Even if you only spend 10 minutes a day thinking about wellbeing, in 12 months that will have added up to 60 hours of thinking about you, your life, your wellbeing, your family, etc. That WILL make a phenomenal difference.
When you’re thinking each day, try to do it in a very positive, light-hearted way. Think of the things you want as opposed to only dwelling on the parts of your life that you don’t want.
Personally, I do at least an hour a day because I understand that in 12 months’ time, I would have spent 365 hours (9 full 40-hour work weeks) worth of time towards solving any challenges that I have.
I also use this time to brainstorm ways to take my life to the next level! So far, it’s worked out pretty well!
I challenge you to PRIORITIZE you!
If you don’t have 10 minutes a day for yourself, then my best guess is that your life is some level of unsatisfactory, regardless of your bank balance, accolades, title, physical appearance, or whatever.
Therefore, it’s vital to give yourself a deliberate chunk of time each day to check in with yourself.
Look around! See the beauty! Look in the mirror, and don’t forget to see the beauty in it too!
Having trouble finding time? Read this article!
#2 Incorporate both veterinary and non-veterinary sources of wellbeing education
Some veterinary professionals seem to feel torn between which is more important: clinical knowledge or the non-clinical stuff.
The simple answer is that they are both vitally important. Neglect either one of these and your wellbeing will take a hit.
Not knowing what you’re doing in a surgery or not fully understanding anesthesia or how to treat simple cases that you see everyday will become so exhausting that even the Buddha would probably want to walk away from vet med!
You’ve got to put time and effort into learning the clinical knowledge and techniques so that you can feel good about your ability to do your job. You can spend time each day reading about something that you don’t understand, or you could take a course about that subject.
If there’s something you need to know or figure out, then put all hands on deck, and get it done!
But!!!!
Neglecting the non-clinical stuff will equally ruin your chances at having a fulfilling life and career and can certainly lead you to shipwreck.
You can be an amazing veterinary professional and be absolutely terrible at living the human experience. You can be so bad at the human experience that it would eventually lead to you having worse performance at work as a vet professional.
When work affects your home life (because you’ve neglected your clinical skills) and when your home life affects your work (because you’ve neglected your non-clinical skills) a vicious cycle begins that can quickly exhaust you mentally, physically, and emotionally.
In essence, you have ‘nowhere to go’ to feel safe and at peace. You go to work and it sucks and then you come home and it sucks. And then some genius suggests changing your job, spouse, or something like that, without suggesting that you invest in your wellbeing!
Some wise person once said, “Wherever you go, there you are.” I’m not saying you don’t need to make some changes in job or relationships, but I’m DEFINITELY saying that you should look in the mirror for the fastest and most effective and most permanent solutions!
Therefore, you are encouraged to spend time nurturing both the non-clinical life skills like leadership, wellbeing, etc. as well as the clinical stuff.
You can find sources of education and training that are on-demand, affordable, and that don’t require you to go to a physical location at the Get MotiVETed University School of Wellbeing for Veterinary Professionals!
#3 Work as hard for your wellbeing as you would work for an ‘A’ on an exam
I actually got this from Julianna Frenette - a veterinary student at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. She said it best when she wrote: “I work as hard for my wellbeing as I would for an A on an exam.”
Do you remember how hard you would study to try to get an ‘A’ on an exam in school? Or maybe you were an athlete and you would practice hard and play hard during game time to try your best to win?
Whatever the case, remember how hard you worked for a measly little letter grade that actually doesn’t mean that much to you now. Sure, maybe it helped you get into vet school, but if you’re suffering from burnout now, then your letter grade is quite useless at this moment.
Therefore, use the previous phrase from Julianna, and work hard for your wellbeing! Read the books! Watch YouTube Videos! Listen to Podcasts! Do whatever it takes to achieve that happier, healthier you that you deserve to see each day when you look in the mirror!
This is the mindset that you need to have if you want to master all things veterinary wellbeing.
Note: None of these things listed require hours of meditation, eating salads, long walks in the park, or exhaustive gratitude journals or getting in shape. While those are all good things, it will depend on your personal preferences and journey as to which specific tools and strategies you should incorporate into your life. Thus, I rarely recommend specifics. You will find the specifics that work best for you when you start investing the appropriate amount of time, energy, and effort into your life!
Summary
Veterinary wellbeing is a skill that you can cultivate with as little as 10 minutes a day and for a fraction of the cost of traditional education.
Nurture your clinical skills and your non-clinical skills.
As a veterinary professional, it is your duty to make sure that you are showing up to work each day as your best self. There isn’t a better way to do this than by cultivating your own wellbeing!
Make 2020-2030 the best 10 years of your life by making the bold commitment to prioritize your veterinary wellbeing today! It will be one of THE best commitments you’ve ever made! I assure you!