It's a Trap! How to Avoid the 5 Most Common Physician Mindset Pitfalls
By, Ali Novitsky, M.D., Physician Life Coach
Triple Board Certified in Neonatology, Pediatrics & Obesity Medicine
Read below to see if you’ve unintentionally fallen prey to any of these wellness wreckers . . .
1. Perfectionism
In med school, we are taught to get things exact. We worry about every move we make and how it could negatively impact our patients if we don’t get it right. This becomes harmful in our personal lives when we become used to putting pressure on ourselves to get everything just right the first time. This perfectionist tendency causes a cycle of self-shame that we have to unlearn to bring more peace and balance to our lives.
We have to remember — we are humans, not machines.
As a life coach for women physicians, I’ve noticed that women put an even higher level of pressure and stress on themselves in juggling the delicate balance of work and family life. This causes us to feel like we’re failing on one or all fronts much of the time. We have labor-intensive jobs and soon being stressed becomes the norm and an acceptable part of the job.
According to this article, more than a third of women in corporate jobs scored high as perfectionists, whereas only 21% of men did. Women were also more self-critical.
So how do we stop the cycle of perfectionism from ruining our lives?
We have to give ourselves enough grace to make mistakes and learn from them. This is key to prevent physician burnout and to have wellness and longevity in our careers.
The need to be flawless often continues in our personal lives, which can cause a lack of self-acceptance and a need to strive for perfection with our bodies.
In my monthly group coaching program for physicians, we don’t focus on hitting a “perfect” goal weight or dress size. I teach you how to accept your unique body type and help you set realistic results that are based on how you want to feel.
Read more about the science behind why my coaching philosophy works here.
2. Fear of Failure
Closely tied to perfectionism, the fear of failure is intense for physicians whose careers demand close attention to detail. We avoid trying new things that may benefit us because we’re afraid it won’t work out again. When we are already overloaded we worry that investing more time and money will be a waste we can’t afford.
Many women physicians fear failure in many areas besides career, including in your relationships, friendships, jobs, and even in your health and fitness.
Having a supportive atmosphere to learn and grow in is important to feel safe enough to try something new. The women I work with in my life coaching programs are surprised to learn how easy it is to start seeing changes in their physical and mental well-being when they are surrounded by a support system of sympathetic peers.
You need a soft landing spot to feel comfortable to explore a lifestyle you love. This is why it’s important to me that my coaching programs are accessible to all levels of fitness and experience. We need safe, nurturing environments to be allowed to grow without worrying about feeling defeated, especially since one third of Americans struggle with the fear of failure.
3. All-or-Nothing Thinking
Do you avoid exercising altogether because you don’t think you have enough time to make a difference?
Or eat one guilty pleasure food and then give up on being healthy for the rest of the day because it’s already “ruined”?
These are normal worries the women physicians I’ve helped struggle with before they join my life coaching groups.
In reality, exercising once a week is very effective if you pair it with healthy eating.
Many women physicians I work with aren’t sure what they should be eating but don’t have time to figure it out on their own either.
In G.O.A.L.S. Society, I show you how to easily incorporate these changes into your busy lifestyle with a comprehensive Mindful Macro Nutrition Plan and live weekly workouts, as well as a library of on demand workouts. These include cognitive behavioral therapy mindset coaching so you get everything you need in one convenient online portal.
This way you maximize the short amount of time you spend with us and still get results.
As physicians with high standards for ourselves, we tend to have black and white thinking that harms our overall health. For example, you may believe it’s not worth working out if you can’t do it for an hour when you would be better served by doing a 30-minute walk than nothing at all.
And I know sometimes working out just seems like more work to add to your already demanding schedule.
By committing to regular exercise, you are improving not only your physical health, but your mental health too.
I know that after a long, tedious day at work in the medical field it’s hard to muster the energy to put in an intensive workout at home.
The good news is — you don’t have to do time-intensive, gut-wrenching workout routines to get results.
Strategic strength training workouts along with a solid nutrition plan, like you get in G.O.A.L.S, is effective enough that you will see the difference right away. You’ll be better able to withstand those long, demanding days on your feet with less frustration and fatigue.
What makes my coaching style unique is that it’s built specifically for busy women physicians who want a complete, quick, and effective workout that is based on research-based principles.
4. No Time for Self-Care
When you don’t feel like you have enough time for your own needs, that’s exactly when you need self-care the most!
The women who join my group coaching programs are shocked at how easy it is to fit a workout into their busy schedules and how much better they feel after even one session. We meet multiple times a month to work on our fitness and self-care together, but without putting too many demands on your time.
As this study shows, “although 80 percent of physicians say practicing self-care is "very important" to them personally, only 57 percent practice it "often" and about one-third (36%) do so only "sometimes."
I designed my programs to maximize time for busy physicians like you who know they need to do more to take care of themselves but don’t know how to fit it in.
If you worry about making time for self-care, I have a treasure trove of pre-recorded calls and workouts available to you 24/7 online. I strive to provide multiple options to make it as easy for you as possible to take care of yourself.
5. Trying to Figure Everything Out on Your Own
As women physicians, we are used to a high level of autonomy and self-mastery in our field. This can be a hindrance though when it comes to asking for help or trusting others to know what’s best for you. I mean, you’re the one usually running the show, right?
What I love about G.O.A.L.S is that it’s a community of women with the same shared experiences and challenges as physicians. We get what it’s like to have a long day and just want to zone out rather than work out, but we hold you accountable for taking care of yourself in a loving way.
This is often a missing component in a physician’s life — the inability to let go and get guidance from others because you’re so used to being in control all of the time.
Letting someone else take the reins for a minute, not only gives you a much-needed break from having to feel “on” all the time and it relieves stress too. One hour of true “it’s all about me right now” time can take loads of overwhelm from the workweek off your mind.
The thoroughly researched methods I use in my physician coaching programs give you the most bang for your buck in the shortest amount of time. As a triple board-certified physician, I know exactly what it’s like to feel like you’re worn thin and like there’s no time to take care of yourself.
Through my research, I learned how to work with our body chemistry to achieve the optimal health and fitness results we all desperately need to sustain our mental well-being and careers for the long-term.
Our mind and body are intrinsically linked, there is no point in addressing one without the other. This is why I combine mindset coaching into my weekly workout routines.
This maximizes your low time investment, while giving you an outside perspective that is often overlooked by physicians trying to go it alone.
Our complex careers are hard enough, don’t put so much pressure on yourself to find out how to get fit and healthy on your own.