10: 3 Ways Physician Moms Can Rebound from Habit Setbacks

Find the full transcript and more resources for physician moms at inspiredmommds.com/10. 

My legs ached, my eyelids were heavy and I just didn’t have the energy to deal. I was exhausted. 

As I went about my day on autopilot, the realization hit me. I have spent years, literal years, feeling this way. I didn’t know any better. 

I accepted fatigue as normal.

Relief from short vacations were quickly forgotten.  In my daily rut of lack of sleep and too much work, everything was a blur. 

Now I do know better, and my healthy days outnumber my cruddy days. I established new healthy habits. So, when the familiar overwhelm comes along the contrast is obvious.

A healthy life takes work! I sometimes fall back into the old destructive habits. The great thing about now is I can course correct more efficiently. 

Have any of you experienced this? Keep listening for tips to get back on track. 

• Check out InspiredMomMDs.com for more information about how I help physician moms! 
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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for medical advice or care. I’m a board-certified physician, but this content isn’t connected to my clinical practice, and no doctor-patient relationship is formed here. Please always talk to your own health professional about any mental or physical health concerns. And as always, take what helps and leave the rest. Please see InspiredMomMDs.com for full legal disclaimer. 

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I help physician moms take back control and prioritize what matters most so they can thrive in private practice and at home.

Transcript

My legs ached, my eyelids were heavy, and I just didn’t have the energy to deal. I was exhausted.

As I went about my day on autopilot, it hit me. I have spent years, literal years, feeling this way. I didn’t know any better.

I accepted fatigue as normal.

Relief from short vacations were quickly forgotten.  In my daily rut of lack of sleep and too much work, everything was a blur.

Now I do know better, and my healthy days outnumber my cruddy days. I established new healthy habits. So, when the familiar overwhelm comes along the contrast is obvious.

A healthy life takes work! I sometimes do fall back into the old destructive habits. The great thing about now is I can course correct more efficiently.

Have any of you experienced this? How do you get back on track?  Episode 10 will cue you in on tips to make it easier.

Find the full transcript and more resources for physician moms at inspiredmommds.com/10.

Medical Practice + Family + Self Care = A Challenge

I have some incredibly early mornings to get to my job as an anesthesiologist. Thankfully, this is no longer every day of the week like so many of you. Kudos to all of you.

These mornings are super early to get ready and drive into town along with so many other people. Who are all these other people stuck in traffic with me at 5:45 AM? It might be one of you!

This past week, I admit, I slipped a little on taking care of myself.  I know that for me I need to be asleep as early as possible, ideally 10:00 PM, eat a light dinner and stay hydrated. I found that while the workday is still tiring, it doesn’t have to tear me down.

Well, this week it did tear me down, enough that I still wasn’t recovered until a full day later. I noticed that I fell back on an old habit of not prioritizing my well-being. And I paid the price.

So, how do you rebound? What works for me is to recognize the why of feeling crappy, resetting established practices, and maybe strategizing new ones. Then, I reward myself to seal the deal.

These are my tips to make it easier. Now, listen on for details on each.

Hey Doc, You Can Rebound and Get a Reward!

• Acknowledge the shift in energy.

That evening I got home and finally let my body sink into a comfy chair.  You know how that feels? My eyes reflexively closed as I let out a long sigh. And then I allowed time to think.

I acknowledged the shift to this draining energy as not normal. I denied it the power to creep up on me like in many years past.

Granted, some shifts in energy are obvious, like falling asleep on the couch as soon as I get home.  Others, not so much, like the gradual tightening of my waistband. What? When did these pants shrink?

That moment of acknowledgement is pivotal. It’s a moment of change, for the better.

• Reapply what works.

Habits are great, they’re automatic, right?  If I just get in the habit of X, Y or Z, I won’t have to think about them again. They’re self-automated. Not always.

This fun thing called life experience can put a wrench on habits, particularly if they are new. This doesn’t mean you need to change your habits, just reapply some effort to get back on track.

In my example from this week, my exhaustion was compounded by not getting to bed on time and being dehydrated. Those were the routines I broke. Now that I was aware, I could adjust.

• Strategize new habits and reward yourself. 

A work in progress means the “work” does need to continue. Finding a happy plateau in life doesn’t mean I can sit back and chill.  To be honest, I’ve never accepted being on a happy plateau because I feel there’s always more to climb.

I can always still improve my diet, exercise, or relationships, so many things, right? And with each little success I do reach a mini plateau.  There is a cause for celebration. Rewarding myself is so deserved.

I want to dive in a bit about rewards. Many women I talk to think of a reward as something you buy, like buying that cool pair of shoes or outfit. That is fun. But the rewards could be an experience, like a dinner out with your honey or a massage.

Rewards can also simply be internal satisfaction at getting something new done. Or they can be the refreshed “you” that looks back in the mirror – a visual reward you did it.

For me, checking off a little box is rewarding.

I’m a staunch paper planner person. You know, the book like planners that some people carry around? That’s me.

In that planner, I have lists upon lists, thoughts, plans, schematics.  And many of those have little check boxes I draw in front. Oh, to place that little “x” when I’m done, sigh. Sometimes, I admit, I write stuff down I’ve already done that day, just to check the box. Hello dopamine!

Do any of you do this?

Back to my point about rewards, pick what checks your box. Something that resonates with you. Just knowing there is a tailored reward at the end of your task gives a small umph of motivation and accountability.

My hope is that next time a setback in positive habits strikes, you will recall a couple tips to keep moving ahead. Keep working on your own well-being so you can continue to be the amazing physician and mom you are.

It starts with a pause of acknowledgement of what is amiss. Then, you get to reapply what works and maybe brainstorm some new solutions. Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself.

It’s Time to Take Control and Thrive!