Enough Is Enough: Take a Vacation and Come Back Refreshed to Treat Patients

Over the years, I have been as guilty as anyone of not knowing when to stop. Stop working, stop my brain from firing, or stopping treatment on a wound that would not heal despite every effort.

You may have found yourself sharing this common trait in your life as well. Stopping can be interpreted as quitting. Therefore, many of us refuse to stop what we are doing as it signifies defeat. Ego does not like to lose! “I am not a quitter. I refuse to lose. This will not beat me. That which does not kill me makes me stronger.” You know the mantras and the affirmations.  

That drive to succeed or not fail, depending on how you look at it, is certainly an extremely important characteristic to possess. The problem is not knowing when to shut it down, when to stop.

First, realize that you are not special. You do not hold superpowers that others do not. We all need a break and a timeout can do wonders for our physical and mental health. Have you had times when you find yourself procrastinating or it takes three times as long to accomplish a routine task as it normally would? This is a signal that it is time to stop for a bit.

Do you ever find yourself saying to others that you don’t take vacations? Why? You do not get bonus points for this and you are fast tracking towards burnout.   

What’s your excuse? Your patients need you? Responsibilities, meetings, money? Take your pick; all of those things will still be there when you return. No matter what excuse you go with, you still need down time.  

We have gotten through lockdowns, and life is returning to some semblances of how things were before March 2020. Hopefully, you have learned some things over the past year and a half, with a greater appreciation of the frailty of health and life. You have to take care of yourself if you hold the responsibility of caring for others.  

Summer is here. What better time for some recharging? Time with friends, family and self is critical for well-being of all. Take a walk. Take a nap. Read a book. Go fishing. Go swimming. Do nothing! There are benefits in anything you choose where work is not involved!

Whatever your approach to rest and relaxation, your patients will benefit from a refreshed, mentally sharp version of you, versus the one who is the embodiment of stress, with dark circles under your eyes, somewhat disheveled, with a flat affect and alternating between frenetic and lethargic. Your staff will like you more and so will your family and friends.  

Remember, patients can be seen by colleagues in your absence, meetings can be rescheduled, and money is money. You always find a way to make ends meet.  

I like to do the sunset test on occasion. Go outside on a beautiful evening, regardless of season, and watch how appearances of your surroundings change as the sun sets further along the horizon. It’s always something to behold, and while appreciating nature’s glory, ask yourself what would happen if you were to not wake up the following day. As you know, life will go on, with or without you.  

Dr. Desmond Bell is the Founder and President of “The Save A Leg, Save A Life” Foundation, a multidisciplinary non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction in lower extremity amputations and improving wound healing outcomes through education, evidence-based methodology and community outreach. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer of Omeza, an evidence-based medical technology company and consumer healthcare products company initially focused on healing chronic wounds and preventing their recurrence. In 2020, he joined MD Coaches as an Executive Physician Coach, serving as a peer to peer mentor.