Impatience, Anger, and the Guilt of Abundance | Insights from the Dalai Lama’s Doctor

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It's natural to feel guilt or shame when living in abundance while much of the world faces hardship. In this episode, Dr. Barry Kerzin, the Dalai Lama's personal physician and a Buddhist monk, shares his approach to managing these emotions with a simple yet powerful tool. He also discusses his journey to becoming a monk, life within the Dalai Lama's compound, as well as anger management, self-compassion, and impatience strategies.

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Guest Bio: Barry Kerzin, MD is a US born and trained family physician who for the past several decades has resided as a monk in Dharamshala, India — home of the Tibetan community in exile. In addition to serving as H.H. the Dalai Lama’s personal physician, Dr. Kerzin is the founder of the Altruism in Medicine Institute, whose mission is to increase compassion and resilience among healthcare professionals and extended professional groups, such as police officers, first responders, teachers and leaders.

Self described as “…a doctor, a monk, a teacher, a lazy man. All of these things, yet none of these things,” you can follow Dr. Kerzin on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram or learn more about his story here.

He's also got a new app that you might be interested in -- AIMIcare. This app is crafted to counteract the distressing prevalence of burnout, depression, and frustration among those facing the brunt of human suffering by instilling the virtues of compassion, mindfulness, and self-care

Download AIMIcare: here

AIMIcare Mobile App Website: https://aimicare.altruismmedicine.org/

We Discuss:

• How Dr. Kerzin made the trade from US-based family doctor to Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama's personal physician
• Studying Tibetan medicine for the treatment of high blood pressure
• A day in the life of the Dalai Lama’s doctor
• What the food is like in the Dalai Lama's compound
• How Barry feels about being referred to as 'The Dalai Lama's Doctor'
• Two experiences in younger life that sparked Barry's spiritual quest
• The guilt of living in abundance
• The importance of generosity
• Self-compassion
• An approach to imposter syndrome
• Anger management
• Healthy self-confidence
• Using purpose as an antidote for impatience
• Having patience in the time-compressed reality of medical practice

Mentioned in this episode:

Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.

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4 Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice

Scripting your least favorite conversations. The Driveway Debrief. My 4 favorite documentation templates. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults.

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