Happy New Year, dear Colleagues!
I propose that we have New Year resolutions as mental health clinicians just like we do for our personal lives. What would be some good ones? Please post your ideas under “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.
Simple and Practical Mental Health
The BEST resource for mental health clinicians
I propose that we have New Year resolutions as mental health clinicians just like we do for our personal lives. What would be some good ones? Please post your ideas under “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.
Attempt to change my attitude towards required documentation time consumption! Do this by …
1. Considering daily how grateful I am when I received medical records that are concise yet give a complete history!
2. Become as efficient at the techinical requirements of whatever EHR I will find in my new practice setting.
3. Do this prior to taking on patient care responsibilities!
Thanks, Mary! In a couple of days, I am going to make a recommendation for a terrific EMR for your practice, so stay tuned. Best wishes, Raj
Get all AIMS tests and blood work out in an organized fashion. Mechanize the routine stuff to have more time for the fun stuff.
Yes! We need good reminder systems so that we don’t have to actively keep track of these kinds of things.
Exercise myself. Recommend it for patients. Benefits are accumulative. It can become a positive habit
Definitely of the highest importance for us and our patients! But how to make it a habit?
When it comes to advising exercise to patients, I do not use the word “exercise” because this sounds like another chore or ‘have too but do not want to’ in life with patients. Instead, ask (invite) patients to move their bodies in a way in which they enjoy—it’s a ‘get to’ activity for our bodies. I’ll encourage, ‘our bodies grew up in nature’ and enjoy & desire moving. This brings the mind/brain pleasure. Plus, BDNT is a benefit or mod and wellbeing.
When sitting with patients, try to think of one thing that I like about them.
Great one! I think this also relates to the idea that we should identify patients’ strengths and actively utilize them and even help them to build on these strengths.
My New Year resolution is: Nulla dies sine linea! It means, No day without a line. Implication: Do something every day.
Attributed to Apelles, a highly accomplished Greek painter who never passed a day, no matter how busy, without practicing his art by drawing lines.
So, Nulla dies sine linea! For me this means that I must make sure I continue to write for Simple and Practical Mental Health every single day of 2018 as I did in 2017.
A growing number of people who I respect and admire practice this. You. Seth Godin. It’s always amazing to watch the impact of this practice unfold in their writing and thinking lives. One noticeable feature of people who seem to be doing this (anecdotally) is a deeper sense of empathy or compassion for other views. Perhaps the writing enforces different habits of thinking? I don’t know if there really is any correlation between the practice of writing daily and habits of thinking: I just know that people I admire and are doing this seem less dogmatic and more generous to other people and views.
Thanks a ton for your leadership!
Mike Davis
Thanks, Mike, for your very kind words! Wish you all the best, Raj
Avoid burnout by taking more time for leisure.
Thansk, Chris! I definitely need to make this one of my resolutions!
Raj, with as much relevant and useful information as you contribute to your colleagues benefit (myself included), you deserve respite and leisure—it keeps us clinicians at our best for sure. Your efforts and wonderful contributions to the field of psychopharmacology are stupendously appreciated! Happy New Year to you Raj—my newest (and favorite) mentor, friend, and colleague. Cheers!
Measure outcomes!