Burn out is real... and you deserve to live life to the fullest.
Signs of "dental exhaustion" may be:
1. Stopped hanging out with friends: Withdrawing from loved ones.
2. Not spending time in a hobby or something that you enjoy.
3. Bring work home.
4. Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Maybe being more reactive to people.
5. Finding it harder to wake up or want to go to work.
6. Getting physical symptoms: Intestinal, headaches, changes in appetite, no energy, emotional, anger, anxiety, high blood pressure, suicidal thoughts, trouble sleeping, or other health related issues.
7. Don't bother goal setting or get excited about vacation.
8. Regretting your occupation and wishing you were doing something else or just want to quit.
It is so important to recognize symptoms and take action. It is like ignoring a cavity. If you let it go long enough you need a root canal or lose your tooth. Let's not let the stress add up and go unchecked. Unmanaged stress is the precursor to more problems.
Beginning recommendations:
Step 1: If you are feeling like taking your own life. Tell someone! Do not be ashamed as all your loved ones will wish you reached out and understand that people want to help and support you. It can be as simple as making sure you get proper rest, switch a medication that you are on, get counseling, better nutrition, or something that can be prevented.
Step 2: Set a "work schedule". For example: You may work on patients 8-4 pm, but your work schedule is 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Stick to the schedule. Get home and enjoy life. Many times, you there are openings in your schedule, and you can compact a day to work less hours.
Step 3: NEVER let obnoxious people who say, "I hate the dentist" bother you. They don't understand how this is rude and offensive. Find a comeback for them, set your boundaries, and dismiss any pain in the butt patients you want. Don't tolerate it and protect your mental health. Listen to positive affirmations if you need to.
Step 4: Be sure you put your health first. Proper sleep, nutrition, and 20 minutes + exercise daily, deep breathing and having some quiet time really helps. I know that our drive can be a great audible university...but shut down your brain to switch gears into being "off work". You may need quiet time before the children run to greet you for play time. When I was taking care of 3 kids and a disabled mother-in-law, I used to pull over into a park for 15 minutes prior to going home. It rejuvenated me. Ask yourself, "What do I need?" and take care of your needs too.
Never be ashamed to express your feelings! There are lots of resources out there.
P.S. if you want some positive affirmations that I wrote just email me and ask for the list.
