What to Do When You’re Out of Fuel with Dr Jess Harvey

You Are Not A Frog

This week, Dr Jess Harvey joins me to share her experience with burnout. We also discuss how you can take care of yourself and top tips for burnt out professionals.

Episode Highlights

[04:02] Jess’s Story

• Jess gets injured or something goes wrong with her body when she’s stressed.
• By the end of her medical school, she developed an eating disorder.
• Because of her condition, Jess couldn’t run anymore.
• Running is her coping mechanism. Being unable to run got to her, so she started eating again.
• During GP training, she caught a rare eye infection and missed 2 months of work.

[12:22] The Importance of Rest and Recuperation

• Jess became a partner in 2017, and her responsibilities increased. She had a stress fracture in her foot and had to wear crutches for four weeks.
• After a case with a young girl, Jess started to second-guess herself. She also kept everything inside to avoid being a burden.
• Jess realised she was burnt out, likening herself to a bucket of water full of holes.
• Rest is essential for the body.

[25:13] What to Do When You’re Burnt Out

• There’s a stigma around stress where people think they should have coped better.
• Burnout allowed Jess to check in with herself.
• Think about how you feel physically. Do you have enough energy?
• If you’re not sleeping well, what is keeping you awake? What can you do about it?
• Look at your stress levels.

[30:54] How Micro Doses of Stress Pile Up

• Small doses of stress can eventually become too much.
• Our stress and lifestyle choices all pile up.
• We should accept that we are fallible as humans.

[38:47] Changing How We Deal with Ourselves

• If you’re tired, don’t force yourself to keep going.
• We spend a lot of energy at work making sure our colleagues are fine.
• But we never look at ourselves, so we struggle even more.
• You are your most precious resource.

[45:20] Top 3 Tips for Professionals

• Be vulnerable.
• Check in with yourself.
• Be kind to yourself.

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Podcast Links

• Leah Gilbert Performance + Wellbeing
• Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee
• More Than a Woman by Caitlin Moran
• Connect with Dr Jess Harvey: Email | Instagram.
• Find out more about the Permission to Thrive CPD club for doctors.

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