Medicine is a very demanding field. Resilience isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.
I know firsthand how overwhelming the pressures can be that we endure in the medical field. Many of us face burnout symptoms, emotional fatigue, and stress which can severely impact our professional and personal lives. But here’s the stinger: resilience can be used to overcome these challenges. In my experience, resilience is critical for our well-being. With this skill sharpened, you’ll not only be a better doctor but live a happier life.
So how do you build resilience in medicine? What are the pillars associated with building resilience? Today, we’ll dive into this crucial topic for physicians.
And whether you’ve just started your residency or have been practicing for decades, we’ll explore practical techniques to enhance your resilience as a physician and how to manage stress effectively.
Read on if those are things you want for yourself. We’ll break down what resilience means for physicians and explore strategies to build it. Along the way, we’ll learn how entrepreneurship can play a surprising role in fortifying resilience, in medicine and beyond.
Attitude is Altitude: The Mindset Shift
What is resilience? It’s the ability to withstand, maintain productivity, function well, and recover quickly during difficult situations. Another word for it is toughness. But what research shows is that when we are more resilient, our quality of life improves and our stress reduces. Would it surprise you to learn that becoming more resilient is as easy as a mindset shift?
It reminds me of the saying, “It’s not your aptitude but your attitude that determines your altitude.” It means that your mindset can be the biggest factor in creating success. It’s true. Our attitudes and perspectives make a huge difference.
I think you know that. Most successful physicians have to practice a growth mindset to get where they are today. But when it comes to specifically building resilience, there are many mindset strategies you can use. Let’s cover a few.
Value Your Role: It’s not difficult to get lost in the day-to-day grind. When that happens, we forget that we contribute so much. Then meaning and purpose slowly slip away. Sometimes a patient will thank us for our work, and we’re reminded of our purpose.
Figure out a way to remind yourself of your value each day. Understand and appreciate the significance of your work. Framing your mindset this way helps maintain long-term motivation and job satisfaction.
Develop Self-Awareness: Regularly reflect on your emotional state and recognize when you’re approaching your limits. This can be difficult since we’re so busy in our daily lives. Some of us might not even know where to start or where we’re at, but carve a small amount of time each day to reflect on how you’re doing.
While you’re at it, I’d recommend Grit, by Angela Duckworth, where she talks about the importance of passion, perseverance, and developing self-awareness as part of one’s, well, grit.
Accept Personal Limitations: Embrace that you can’t do it all, and that’s okay. This acceptance is key to preventing burnout.
I talked to somebody just the other day—the head of their department—who felt like everything was their responsibility. They’d fill in when the department was short because they have a hard time saying no. What’s worse, they knew it was having a significant impact on their life at home and on their own emotional health. I think many of us can relate to this feeling…like we need to be a professional superhero.
But it’s okay to say no. Think of it this way: When you say yes to something, you’re saying no to everything else. So we have to say no in order to prevent burnout. You’ve got to learn to embrace your limitations and focus on what you can control.
Maintain Interest: Part of staying resilient is the importance of maintaining an interest in medicine. How can you achieve that? Continuously seek new knowledge and skills to keep your passion for medicine alive.
Figure out new ways to grow and evolve. It’s not uncommon to reach career goals about seven or ten years in. Then a feeling creeps in—what else is there? But the truth is you’ve never fully arrived. There’s always something new to learn, so continue striving for more. Attend conferences, network with new people, optimize your life in and out of medicine, and keep yourself on a path.
Entrepreneurship as a Path to Resilience
For a lot of people in the Passive Income MD community, entrepreneurship has become a component of their resilience in medicine. What I mean by entrepreneurship isn’t you starting a multi-million-dollar business. It means identifying and solving problems for others through work outside your medical practice.
The ways that entrepreneurship helps build resilience are numerous. Here are just a few.
Diversifying Yourself: I’ve talked a lot about how diversifying your identity can help curb burnout, but how does that apply to entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurship allows you to use a different part of your brain. It becomes a fun challenge to build up these other parts of yourself while fostering growth, confidence, and learning. Those traits will then bleed back into your medical practice.
It also allows you to shift focus between different types of challenges. This variety can act as a mental refresh, reducing the monotony and stress from clinical work.
Empowerment and Control: Owning a business gives you greater control over your work environment, which can reduce feelings of helplessness often experienced in clinical settings.
You can have the freedom to choose your work schedule, hours, location, and projects. You’ll also have a greater sense of ownership over your destiny, making your own decisions and filtering them through your own terms. That flexibility helps you balance your work and family time that isn’t always possible in medicine.
Financial Security: If you’re able to build additional income streams through entrepreneurism, you’ll be more equipped to meet your financial goals and live your dream life.
Diversifying your income through entrepreneurial ventures can alleviate financial worries, which is a significant source of stress for many physicians. This added security can create a buffer against the pressures of medical practice. With enough financial security, you can choose how you want to practice medicine.
Purpose Beyond Medicine: Entrepreneurship provides an avenue to explore passions outside of medicine, helping you stay engaged and motivated. This can reignite your passion for both your business and your medical practice, contributing to a well-rounded and resilient professional life. I’ve found that for people who have taken on that interest outside of medicine, it’s helped them keep their mind sharp.
It’s Time to Become Resilient
By cultivating the right attitudes, prioritizing balance, managing your practice effectively, and building strong relationships, you can enhance your resilience.
Start by implementing one small change in each area we’ve discussed. Once it becomes normalized in your routine, add another. And consider exploring entrepreneurial ventures that align with your passions—they might just be the key to boosting your resilience.
Remember, resilience is not just about bouncing back—it’s a bout moving forward with strength and purpose. By investing in your own resilience, you’re investing in your ability to provide the best care to your patients while living a fulfilling life. It’s an investment in your future.
If you’re looking for communities of like-minded people who help each other stay resilient in the world of medicine, investments, and entrepreneurism, look no further. Members of the Passive Income MD are here to help you on your journey.
Peter Kim, MD is the founder of Passive Income MD, the creator of Passive Real Estate Academy, and offers weekly education through his Monday podcast, the Passive Income MD Podcast. Join our community at the Passive Income Doc Facebook Group.