56. Transformation Amidst Covid-19

May 12

It’s so easy to let yourself become less important during catastrophic events. But as Dr. Katie Jobbins talks about, if you’re not looking after yourself, you won’t have the long-term capacity to care for others. Self-care is important, especially through a pandemic.

Key Takeaways

You can be okay with where you are and enjoy it
Let whatever you’re focusing on go and move on
Find movement you love and want to do

Listen to Episode 56 Here

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About Dr. Katie Jobbins

Katie Jobbins, DO, MS, FACP is a primary care internist at High Street Health Center Adult, an academic hospitalist at Baystate Medical Center, and Associate Program in the Internal Medicine Department at UMMS-Baystate in Springfield, MA.

Dr. Jobbins received her undergraduate degree in Nutrition Science from Syracuse University and her Masters in Science from Case Western Reserve University in Nutrition and Metabolism. She attended Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine where she graduated in 2010.

Initially, Dr. Jobbins started her training in general surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic--South Pointe but after 2 years found her true passion was in Internal Medicine. She then completed 3 years of Internal Medicine and stayed on to be Chief Residents in 2015-2016 at Baystate Medical Center.

In her current role as Associate Program Director in the MMS-Baystate Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Jobbins serves as a clinician-educator working with residents in both the inpatient and ambulatory setting. She leads the social justice working group, the director of the resident’s self-reflection and wellness curriculums, ambulatory quality improvement curriculum, co-director of the humanities track, and director of the Chief Resident leadership curriculum for the health system.

Dr. Jobbins is also an Assistant Profession at UMMS-Baystate. She is an active member both nationally and locally in SGIM, AMA, AMWA, and the ACP. In the Massachusetts ACP Chapter, she is the co-chair of the Early Career Physician Council and supervises the resident/fellow council. She recently won one of the AMA Inspiration Awards for her work in medical education.

Prioritizing Yourself During a Pandemic

When this pandemic hit, Dr. Katie Jobbins found herself falling back into old habits where she didn’t prioritize her own health. Despite previously going to therapy and private programs, it wasn’t until she joined a group program that Katie felt she had the tools and accountability to make lasting changes.

The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another, and for so many of us, it’s been detrimental to how we take care of ourselves. Katie explains why it was essential for her to find time for herself.

Katie shares some of the ways she started prioritizing herself throughout the last year. It doesn’t matter that there’s a pandemic going on - it shouldn’t change the way you care for yourself.

Creating Space for Yourself Every Day

Katies says you need to make sure you’re doing something for yourself every single day - and notice when and what this is. It’s not only about doing something for yourself. The act of recognizing that you’re putting yourself first has a positive impact on your overall health, too.

Katie shares some ideas for how to look for and create space in your life. Can you go for a walk during your lunch break? Take advantage of what space you already have in your schedule.

Finally, Katie talks about how she started enjoying exercise and movement. It’s so different to approach movement and wellness from a place of love and joy than from a space of necessity. This change of mindset is so valuable.

Homework for Women Physicians

How do you create space in your day that’s just for you? If you haven’t done this - or haven’t done it sustainably - this is your permission slip to start finding space. Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

Why group coaching programs have a different impact than private programs or even therapy [8:00]
Why you need to make time for yourself, even when you don’t feel like you have it [10:30]
How to put yourself first, even during a pandemic [13:00]
Why you should recognize what you’re doing for yourself [14:30]
How to look for and create space in your life [18:45]
How to have a healthy relationship with activity and mental health [28:00]

Quotes

“I needed that external stimulus from someone else who was almost like my honest mirror. I could hear it, but I was afraid to say it out loud. When I finally said to her that I need help, I need additional resources with people who are having similar struggles to me. I had done therapy, I’d done all the private things, but I needed something that was more of a group together. I needed accountability. As the pandemic went on further, I felt more isolated. I needed something that could help me have a deeper connection with other people.” [7:13]

“The pandemic’s going to keep going. It’s not going away, this is our life now. For us to say that that we’re going to get to a new life at some point, great. But this is where we are now. I can’t change that. I can control what I do, I can try to control what goes on in my family. The biggest part of the transformation is that I’m okay with the chaos now.” [13:12]

“You should do something for yourself every day. The idea that there is space for you if you let yourself have it. It’s okay, don’t feel guilty. Create that space for yourself.” [15:25]

“I think that the biggest takeaway from the Transform process is that I’m taking care of myself and I feel less helpless. When the pandemic hit, I felt helpless, and I couldn’t figure out where that came from. It’s that I really needed to help myself. I was already helping so many other people. But I needed to help myself so that I could take care of all the other things that were on my plate.” [31:23]