Physician Wellness Resources

The world of health care is demanding and constant. Physicians give care and compassion to others instinctively. Self-care practices, rarely even an afterthought, are essential to ensure that healthcare workers develop healthy habits. By continuously deferring mental and physiological needs, physicians harm not only themselves, but also provide a disservice to patients.

This page is designed to provide various resources to build a toolkit for each provider to find the methods of self-care which they need most.

General Self-Care Ideas:

  • Establish a morning and/or evening routine 
  • Exercise – Go for a walk, try a Yoga, Zumba or Pilates class online, or work in the yard
  • Yoga/ Meditation
  • Take time off from social media
  • Shut your phone off for a designated amount of time while you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, read or during another relaxing activity
  • Keep a journal of thoughts, creative writing or poetry
  • Self-care Massage (PDF)
Self-Care Guide - Details and more techniques
Yoga: Quick Practice for Healthcare Workers

Thank you to Amanda Wallace of Yoga Everywhere LLC, for providing these tips and techniques. www.amandawallaceyoga.com

Supporting Healthcare Workers

Always, but especially during this challenging time, we should aspire to follow clear strategies, both as health care leaders and as individual clinicians, to help sustain the well-being of clinicians amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

The following resources are provided thanks to the National Academy of Medicine.

Strategies for Health Care Leaders and Managers

Strategies for Clinicians

Additional Information:

Resources for First Responders During COVID-19 (MDHHS)

  • Be safe, have a plan, take a break & stay healthy (PDF)
  • Identifying & managing stress (PDF)
  • Resources for first responders (PDF)

Managing Stress:

Recognizing stress in yourself is important. Here are some things you can do for yourself to help manage stress:

  • Talk to your peers about the stresses of the day, jobs, and other worries you share. Place an emphasis on validating one-another’s concerns without focusing on the grim. Help point out positive elements of the shift or day for one another.
  • Seek help from support systems available in the healthcare environment. Many systems have point people or resources to help with burnout, fatigue and other concerns. Having conversations about your worries can help reduce anxiety. Check out the list of resources at the end of this document as well.
  • Self-care helps you stay strong in order to better help others. Self-care can be eating healthy, exercising and getting good sleep. Self-care may also include taking care of family, including children and others. Making sure you fill your own cup is just as important as pouring from it to serve others.
  • Stay in touch with older parents and family members you would normally visit. Connect by phone or video chat, write letters, or send supplies safely to their residence to maintain your connectedness.
  • Take things one day at a time - step back from the “sprint” mentality and prepare for a marathon. Remember that this pandemic will not be solved quickly so pacing will be crucial.
  • Take mindful minutes. Slow breaths on the top of the hour, taking time to recognize all the small things around you, acknowledging them, and letting them go. Find mindfulness techniques you enjoy and do them regularly.