CREATING AN ANTI-BURNOUT PLAN USING THE 8 DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS | MAY 20TH, 2024

We cannot do it all—all the self-care activities we may see influencers doing. In medical school, there is no time for a 4-hour morning routine. However, it is possible to make a personalized plan to combat burnout. I advise choosing one activity in each of the dimensions of wellness, whether specified below or not (what matters is if it fits into the category), and choosing a time limit for each. The activity can be as little as five minutes. The activities and time blocks will change with each new season of life. I encourage you to take time before each rotation to remake your personalized anti-burnout plan. *Hint: YouTube is a great free resource to find guided prompts for journaling, exercise videos, meditation videos, recipes, etc. Use this resource!

• Emotional

  • Therapy Session

  • Spiritual Advising Session at Local Church

  • Journaling Prompt

  • Sitting in Silence in Nature

  • Spending Time with a Friend

  • Playing an instrument or listening to music (make sure the songs lift you up and into the right mindset)

• Physical

  • Mediterranean Meal (protein, vegetables, complex carbs, healthy fats)

  • Cardio Session

  • Yoga Session 

  • Meditation Session 

  • Local Workout Class (a lot of first-time ones are free to try)

  • Stretch Session (ballet and yoga stretch videos are great for this)

  • Having a healthy beverage for comfort (e.g., hot matcha latte with oat milk and honey is my favorite!)

• Occupational

  • Meet with an advisor/counselor

  • Get feedback from peers

  • Social network

  • Attend a conference

  • Read about different parts of the industry

  • Focus on building one physical skill per week or shift

  • Focus on doing a set number of practice questions per day

• Social

  • Phone call with a friend

  • Date night

  • Solo date out

  • Meal or coffee with a friend

  • Group activity

  • Attend a local, community event

  • Sign up for a local activity (e.g., a paint night!)

  • Review your “friends list”—the community that you spend time with (in person and online!)

• Spiritual

  • Spend some time praying/reflecting

  • Find a quiet space in a location you feel spiritually connected

  • Think about what thoughts and actions have been furthering you toward the person you would like to be v. those that are hindering you

  • Ponder deep life questions (e.g., why are you here? what’s your purpose? why do you believe what you believe? what are you still unsure about? What do you feel is true? what is in your control? where space do you feel called to move into next?)

  • If you practice a certain religion, chose one activity within that religion that you will focus on for this life season

• Intellectual

  • Read a book per month (choose how many pages or chapters you will read each day---usually 1 chapter/day is a doable goal)

  • Choose a journal article per week to read

  • Watch videos on procedures you are trying to master

  • Have discussions with your mentors and peers about topics you are curious about

  • Join a committee/group

  • Attend a new seminar

  • Look up local academic events/opportunities

• Environmental

  • Walk or ride your bike instead of using a vehicle to commute

  • Recycle (look up your city’s requirements for acceptable items)

  • Purchase a compost bin

  • Volunteer for a local community event

  • Purchase a reusable, BPA free water bottle

  • Purchase cloth grocery bags to limit using plastic bags

  • Switch to natural cleaning products

  • Open the windows once a day to air out any pollutants in your home

  • Throw out litter if you see it

  • Unplug devices

  • Shut down your computer at the end of the day – emotionally, it may also help you to feel like everything around you is “shutting down” to truly unplug

  • Donate items to a local Goodwill – reduce clutter!

  • Think about how you are “charging yourself” with natural resources – food, sun, water, nature, positive short interactions with everyone you meet (make eye contact and smile!)

• Financial

  • Review your financial subscriptions

  • Check your memberships

  • Look at your expenses over the last year and calculate how much you spent in each category (e.g., food, coffee, school, gas, etc.)

  • Pay off any remaining balances

  • Organize your receipt for records/taxes

  • Make a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly list of financial habits to follow

  • Create a savings plan with specific goals

  • Discern how you want to spend and save moving forward

By: Naushaba K. Keefe