Physician Coaching Services: When worrying what others think gets in the way!

Even though I have been coaching physicians for over 5 years now, I have noticed that Life Coaching for Doctors is becoming more popular these days. It doesn't surprise me since doctors have many of the same life issues that all of us do with the added stress of their hectic and demanding schedule and of course their "invincible" image that they have to uphold.

Many of my doctor clients are very concerned with what their colleagues say about them, how much their patients like them and their overall reputation as a Physician. And that's understandable ... of course you would want to have an excellent reputation as a Physician and be regarded as the best. But here's where it starts to get in the way of living YOUR best life ...

When you start to worry about what everyone else is thinking or saying about you and you are not following what feels good to you!

A few of my physician clients experience quite a bit of stress around "giving a rip" what others are thinking about them. And as a Physician you know that "stress" is not good for your overall health. Ironic, isn't it? But often we don't think of this type of worrying as something that is having a negative impact on our overall health. But it does -- both emotionally and physically!

Let's face it ... as a doctor you are a high achiever, wanting to always be your best and do the right thing. Matter of fact, this sometimes keeps you up at night, right? My physician coaching clients often tell me that they lye awake at night worrying about what happened with a patient or with a colleague or many times how something that happened during their day is impacting their professional reputation.

As a physician, in order to live a life of joy, you have to let go of worrying about what others are saying about you and focus more on what you think of you. Often times, your confidence is shattered because you don't believe in yourself enough! There ... I said it. You may not want to admit that, but I know from coaching my doctor clients that "lack of confidence" is quite prominent among those in the medical profession. And you know why? It's not because they are not good at what they do -- oh, quite the contrary! It's because doctors have extremely high standards for themselves and every once in a while they hit a bump in their knowledge base where they are unsure of the answers. Hey, even doctors are human. There is not one physician who knows it all --- although, many who act as if they do. But don't be fooled, because underneath that front, there are some insecurities like all of us have. And a strong desire to be respected and liked!

Bottom line ... you have to stop worrying about what others are thinking about you and just believe in yourself and your abilities and continue to focus more on what brings you joy. My doctor clients learn that by following their "feel good", they can never go wrong and everyone else benefits (including their patients, family and of course, most of all themselves!)

When you feel bad and worry by default about every aspect of your day (including what others are thinking and saying about you), you are energetically pushing the pause button on all your future dreams coming true. When you put feeling good at the top of your to-do list, your desires and dreams can easily come to you!

A Hinderance to Your Happiness: Feeling Bad about Not Fitting in All Your Patients!

One of the main issues I hear from my Doctor coaching clients is that their schedule is way overbooked and that there is nothing they can do about it. Their office staff continues to double book appointments or put a new patient in right before the break they have blocked off for themselves or just at the end of the day when they are supposed to leave. These are the same doctors who tell me that what would make them leap for joy is to leave on time a few days a week and actually get home early to spend some quality time with their family.

So, what's the solution? Well, first of all, there is ALWAYS a solution! That's the first thing that my doctor clients learn and embrace during the coaching process - that even though they don't know the exact HOW it is going to happen, that it is essential to believe that they could have a schedule that runs smoothly and gets them out on time.

If you are always focused on "hectic" schedule and "I'm always running late" -- of course you are going to continue to attract this exact situation again and again and again. This is what I discussed in my previous post about what you expect.

But there is another aspect that plays into the solution of an overbooked schedule of patients -- you have to set some boundaries. You teach people how to treat you and YES, that includes your staff. I have one client who always has her staff overbooking her and does this way more often to her than her partner in their medical practice. Why is that? Because she "feels bad". She wants to be able to see all her patients. She doesn't want to be stopped in her small town by a patient and be told that they couldn't get in and hear complaints on her personal time.

But here's the dilemma of putting up and tolerating with being overbooked because you will feel bad if you can't see all the patients that want to be seen => YOU ARE NOT PUTTING YOUR HAPPINESS AND BALANCE FIRST! Yes, I know ... you are a caregiver and you help other people for a living. You have other people's overall health and well-being "in your hands". However, what about YOUR overall health and well-being.

When you take care of yourself first, your patients benefit, your family benefits and most of all YOU benefit. It's a win-win for all. And those patients that can't get in -- they will get over it. Do you think that those patients will be there for you if you are going through a life crisis or have a family emergency? Does the feelings of your patients really fit into the bigger picture of your life and your path to joy?
I think NOT.

Feeling bad about not fitting in all the patients and overbooking your schedule is the worst thing you can do for your sanity, your health, your well-being. Start taking your power back and decide what type of life you really want to live. And if you want more balance in your life between your personal life and your work life, then you are going to have to REALLY DECIDE (e.g., cutting off all other options) and make a healthy work-life balance your top priority.

I had one doctor client tell me today "I want to be a regular person; a regular Mom." She also said that she wants to "not always feel rushed". It starts with choosing to focus on the way you want it to be instead of the way it is and believing that it can turn around. Start imagining having that lifestyle you really want and feel the essence of who you will be when you manifest it. Our minds are very powerful catalysts for the quality of our life experiences and once we imagine what it is we want and activate the essence of how we will feel into our present moment, it is bound to happen!

If you are looking to improve your work-life balance and would like to find out more about Life Coaching for Doctors, Click Here and let's set up a time to discuss how the process of life coaching can help you.

To YOUR Health & Happiness,
~ Coach Maria

Physician Burnout - Late Hours: Your Expectation always affects the Outcome!

Many of my doctor clients expect to be home late. They say to me "well, there are so many hours in a day! I can never get home on time to spend some quality time with my kids!"

Does that sound familiar?

Well, first of all, if you affirm that you can NEVER get home on time, you will create that in your reality. This really is an affirmation that you are putting out there into the Universe and each time you will prove yourself right.

So, the first step is to start believing in they way you would like it to be. If you want to get home on time occasionally, then start EXPECTING that you can manifest that event. It can happen. My current doctor clients have experienced this once they started to change what they expected and believed could happen.

Once you start questioning your expectations, especially the ones where the outcome doesn't feel good to you and is not aligned with your joy, you will start to see positive changes in your life. And YES ... even with your hectic schedule as a Doctor!

One of my clients told me that she doesn't even know HOW it was happening, but that all of a sudden she started to come home earlier than ever after we were working on her expectations and beliefs around this during her coaching sessions. I will tell you how it happened - she started to become more at peace with where she was at. She stopped affirming that she was NEVER going to be home on time. She stopped telling herself the story that her kids never see her and that she is going to miss out on their childhood and then regret it. The coaching process helped her to change the stories she was telling herself to ones that felt more empowering. And as a result, she is coming home on time way more often then she ever has. She is even able to attend her son's sporting events and be there on time. Amazing! And this all happened because she changed the nature of her thoughts and feelings. She changed what she was telling herself. She shifted her mindset to a better feeling place and one that was more aligned with what she wanted to attract into her life.

So, start examining what you are expecting to happen in your life. And realize that your expectations affect the outcome 100%! Start to expect the positive outcomes. Start to expect to live a life that is in more balance and allows you some free time to spend with your family or with yourself.

Physician burnout is something that occurs as a result of the nature of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and how you manage the day-to-day stressors of a Physician's lifestyle.

Change your thoughts & feelings and your life will change for the better.

To your Health & Happiness,
~ Coach Maria

Life Coaching for Doctors ... it's becoming an invaluable resource for Physicians

I have been coaching doctors for 4 years now, helping them to avoid burnout, reduce stress and improve the balance in their lives between their work life and their personal life. And now, life coaching for doctors is becoming more and more popular. The number of doctors that have been contacting me recently is astounding!

Why is that? Well, just because doctors help their patients doesn't mean they don't need help themselves to deal with the abundant stressors that come with their chosen career path. Yes, Physicians need assistance too. In the past, they have been too proud to seek the help they need or maybe they just didn't know where to turn to (that would be confidential, professional and impact their lives positively). But it does appear right now that doctors are reaching out, looking for a Certified Life Coach for Doctors, like myself, to help them to feel less overwhelmed, more happy and live a life that is more aligned with what brings them joy.

My doctor clients hire me for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few of the areas we work on together:

1) Stress Management / Avoiding Burnout

2) Weight Loss / Improving your own health and well-being

3) Reducing hours in your private practice so that you can spend more time with family/ loved ones.

4) Transitioning to a new career -- one that will bring you far more joy and less stress.

5) Preparing for board exams, maintaining the right attitude and confidence to be able to pass with flying colors.

6) Improving relationships with office staff and learning how to communicate more effectively with colleagues and co-workers so that there is a more productive and efficient work environment.

7) Improving personal relationships with spouse and kids. The stressors of the Medical profession can hinder this area of your life if you are a doctor and through the Life Coaching you learn how to address the family issues that arise and gain a greater sense of balance in your life.

8) Assistance with finding that peace within, during the "storms" you face in your profession. I provide you with an abundance of coaching tools that can help you to get centered and address "emergency" issues that come up with a calm, clear approach.

Many of my doctor clients have also used me as a professional resource for their patients, realizing that great health and wellness is just as much an emotional journey as it is a physical one. Taking a holistic approach to wellness is the most effective pathway to experiencing great health.

There is something about coaching my doctor clients that is extremely rewarding and special to me. I love working with doctors. They are smart, determined, driven and yet, they have many of the same issues other people have -- which makes them human (which many people forget they are).

If you are a doctor looking to improve the quality of your overall life and you somehow stumbled across my blog and are reading this, contact me and let me share with you more about how the coaching process works. You will be glad you did. Just because you have devoted your life to improving the health and well-being of others, doesn't mean you don't deserve to take care of yourself. When you make your happiness your #1 goal, your patients, family and most of all YOU will benefit a great deal. It's a win-win for all.

Here's a testimonial from one of my doctor clients:

"Maria has been a lifesaver and a breath of fresh air to me over the past year. She has been invaluable to me in helping me to overcome burnout and maintain excitement in my practice and in my life. She is great at moving me away from negativity that occurs after difficult days at work and into a more positive and allowing state of mind. I can always count on Maria to be upbeat and energetic, and she has so many different tools to offer so that she is able to handle any issue that comes up. The work I have done with Maria has brought me to experience more joy at home with my family and friends, as well as a greater appreciation for my practice and an exciting vision for the future. She is an invaluable resource to me as a physician and a busy mom. "
~ Tanya Williams, MD