Story Reflection

This past week, I listened to a webinar featuring Dr. Paul Chelminski from UNC - Chapel Hill (and my former faculty advisor in the CHARM GME Wellbeing Course). He stated that much of our discontent in medicine comes from taking too much refuge in the idealized version of medicine. (My interpretation - the "should's and "should not's" as in it should be this way, it shouldn't be ike this).

Dr. Sarah Smith, rural family doc and the Charting Coach, recently offered my group a new way of viewing the shortage of time and resources to fill the needs around us. We can still have an ideal to aspire to (as opposed to being angry that we aren't already there or have left a better version in some cases).

However, redefining the ideal with the reality in which we live will help us accept what's possible right now, establish boundaries, advocate for what's necessary, find agency to experiment with our choices, and access self-compassion. (Notice you can have acceptance with advocacy). This has been a paradigm shift for several of the doctors who were in that coaching session. How can you redefine your ideal based on your current reality?

The antidote that Dr. Chelminski offered was this - return to the stories of our patients, the connections we make, and the things that we are able to do for them - this is grounding and pulls us from the discontentment that focusing on the idealized leads to.

What stories and patients come to mind that fill you with satisfaction, purpose, or honor? Where have you seen inspiration? What's made you smile (inwardly or outwardly)? How often do you make time to reflect on what you are accomplishing and connecting? How often will you commit to letting your brain marinade on these positives?

I'd love to hear what you notice and decide.

Have a joy-filled week! Tonya

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