Working in a hospital is a high pressured position which must bring with it a he amount of stress. Stress can be a real problem for just about anybody, but on the theme of doctors it is highly important that stress is managed. Poorly managed stress leads to a reduction in performance, something which is not acceptable for a doctor give the services which they must perform. We spoke to the wonderful Dr. Ryan Shephard about how he mangoes to stay relaxed outside of work, especially given the intense nature of his role as a doctor, here is what he said.
Studying
Somewhat surprisingly the doctor tells me about how one of the best ways that he finds to relax is not about getting away from medicine, but actually embracing it. Not only will Dr. Shephard study new techniques and treatments but he will regularly go over old material to compound his knowledge. He tells me that this all began after a young boy arrested in surgery in his first week on the job, the boy survived and after the incident Dr. Shephard spent the night going through his medical notes to try to understand what had happened and why. Ever since this situation he has found solace in studying.
Exercise
A favorite of many a doctor when it comes to relaxing is engaging oneself in exercise and that is no different for Dr. Shephard. In fact the doctor tells me that his exercise of choice is the punching and that after an hour of beating up the bag, he feels as though he has exercised all of his stress and got it out of his system. The doctor went on to stress that exercise is not the only way that he stays loose, he also backs it up with a smart and healthy diet that keeps him calm and relaxed. The days where the Doc perhaps hasn’t eaten so well, are the days that he tells me things get to him more than normal, showing a direct correlation between the diet and the stress levels.
Family
Dr. Shephard tells me how lucky he is to have a loving family and that his kids alone have the power to make him completely forget about the day that he has had. The family remind Dr. Shpehard of why he does what he does, to ensure that other families can have a quality of life so that they can have the sam home life that he does. I asked if there was anything in particular that he loved to do with the family that relaxes him, and he told me that just being around them is enough to help him unwind, destress and remember what is important in life.
This is of course just the way that one doctor deals with things but it just shows how simple it can be to deal with even the most stressful situation.
