Why doctors can’t rest

"I think doctors are just wired that way. We are productive. We get things done. It is expected. We are supposed to do more, do it all, and be all the things to all the people. We come to a point where we try to satisfy this, and then we cannot do enough for ourselves. We cannot rest. We must keep trying to check things off the list to get things done. And it is overwhelming. It does lead to burnout.

I am still a work in progress. I am writing this on a work night because it is burning in my brain, wanting to come out. Perhaps I should be doing nothing, resting for a full day. But if I do that, I will feel guilty that I have wasted this time when I could have been putting my thoughts down on paper. The mind is always going.

This is me, but I think it applies to many other physicians. Look at your habits and see if you have some of my same tendencies. If you do, let’s start talking about how to reverse this tide of overwhelm to create some time for yourself when you are doing nothing and not regretting it."

Marion McCrary is an internal medicine physician and can be reached at Marion McCrary Wellness.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Why doctors can’t rest." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/05/why-doctors-cant-rest.html)