Articles
Illness is an offering, not a punishment
I am currently ill, and far from feeling frustrated or upset about it, I see this illness is an offering, not a punishment.
Life as a country doctor
I attended a function last night in the town where I live and work, at which we hosted our young doctors and talked to...
When Medicine is a ‘Calling’
What do we mean when we say that medicine is a ‘calling’? And what implications does that have for the way we practice medicine and the way we live our lives?
If music be the food of love, play on!
The thing I have come to learn about music is that it is first and foremost a vibration, that is felt in the body. We think we are listening to something with our ears, and we are, but we are primarily resonating with the vibration of it and it can literally change the way we feel.
The Art of Mentoring
Medicine is an apprenticeship system and like all such systems, works best if the masters train their apprentices not just in a functional way, but with a deep level of care, as people and as colleagues. We now call this process mentoring.
Relationships and medicine
Medicine is all about relationships. It is about caring for people, after all. So why do we place so little focus on this vital element of our profession?
Why do doctors smoke?
We all know the harms of smoking and in fact there is nothing healing about it, so why do doctors smoke?
When we lose someone we love
We don’t talk about it in Medicine much, when we lose someone we love. Doctors are no strangers to death and as part of our training, we are taught to toughen up, take things in our stride and become seemingly inured to death.
Self-care programme 2022: 7. Sleep
Welcome to Day 7 of 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practice of self-care.
Today is a moment to sleep.
Self-care programme 2022: 6. Drink
Welcome to Day 6 of 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practice of self-care.
Today is a moment on drink.
Self-care programme 2022: 5. Eat
Welcome to 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practice of self-care. Today is a moment to eat ... But what, and why?
Self-care programme 2022: 4. Move
Welcome to Day 4 of 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practise of self-care. Today is a moment to move.
Self-care programme 2022: 3. Be in your body
Welcome to Day 3 of 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practise of self-care. Today is a moment to be in your body.
Self-care programme 2022: 2. Breathe
Welcome to Day 2 of 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practise of self-care. Today is a moment to breathe.
Self-care programme 2022: 1. Stop
Welcome to 2022 and the opportunity to bring more love to your body and your life through the simple daily practise of self-care. It starts with a stop.
The year in review – letting go of new year’s resolutions
As this year draws to a close, it may be tempting to review the year through the lens of regret and make (another set of) new year’s resolutions, but what if there were another way of looking at this time of year, that comes around, every year.
The Pill
Of all the many drugs on the market, there is only one pill known as ‘The Pill’. The Pill is a combination of synthetic female hormones – oestrogen and progesterone – used to mimic pregnancy and suppress female ovulation and thereby fertility, reducing the chance of unwanted pregnancy.
Making the choice
My experience so far with medical specialist training programmes and making the choice about which one to do, reminds me of the journey Frodo takes in the Lord of the Rings movie.
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day 2021: With Gratitude to the Feists
A beautiful blog by Dr Michael Myers, on the recent National Physician Suicide Awareness Day and the great work being done by Jennifer and Corey Feist, founders of the Dr Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, one of the missions of which is “We envision a world where seeking mental health services is universally viewed as a sign of strength for health care professionals.”.
True Resilience
The key to developing true resilience is to care for ourselves and restore our sense of innate wholeness and worth, learning to love and appreciate ourselves just for who we are and to honour our innate sensitivity, letting the wisdom of our body guide our way, each and every day.
A Wellbeing Charter for Doctors
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) in conjunction with several other medical colleges and more to come, has just released a Wellbeing Charter for Doctors. This is a great first step in acknowledging the importance of self-care in healthcare professionals and the need for this care to be a shared responsibility for all of us.
R U OK? Day
This year, 9 September is R U OK? Day. This is an Australian initiative that was developed in 2009 by a man whose father was not OK and died by suicide.
Standards
We all have standards. They may not always be the same standards, but we all have them. Values that we hold dear, points of truth we will not compromise, a way of living that we hold as sacred.
Spring Cleaning You
Spring is such a beautiful time of the year. So why not take the time to love ourselves, inside and out, and refresh the way we feel about ourselves and life?
Invoking Caste: Why Physicians With Psychiatric Illness Are Shunned
American medicine has a checkered history in its welcoming of physicians who are black, women, physically disabled, LGBT, to name a few. As a specialist in physician health and a 50-year career of treating physicians,1 I would like to add another group that has struggled for acceptance—physicians who have suffered a psychiatric illness. I argue that caste may be the reason.
It Is Never Too Late
My name is Evan Haines*. I’m writing you because I believe my mother, who, sadly, committed suicide in 1989, was under your care. I remember your name, and that she always thought very highly of you.
Mindfulness and Conscious Presence
We hear the word ‘mindfulness’ mentioned a lot these days, but what is it? How do you do it? And what does it do for you?
How Well-Intentioned Advice Is Suppressing the Doctors of Tomorrow
Read this blog by renowned psychiatrist Dr Michael Myers on how well-intentioned advice is suppressing the doctors of tomorrow
A Tip of the Hat to Medical School Applicants: Chipping Away at Stigma
One dimension of my daily work that I really enjoy is interviewing applicants to medical school. I’m often tasked with interviewing a specific group of applicants, the ones who openly write that they have suffered from mental health symptoms in the past.
The Art and Science of Repose
Repose is not a word that is used much these days, but it once was, as seen in this graph of its use over time. Repose is a quality we could perhaps do with more of, so what is it, how do we do it and where do we start?