For many practice owners, anxiety is a significant part of not only day to day seeing patients, but also running a practice.
Typically, the practice owner is managing admin, management and logistical tasks whilst trying to remain focused in the room, even with a team.
As a result the brain becomes so over-stimulated, the capacity for taking on new information is virtually zero.
This then creates anxiety on top of anxiety which then leads to over-compensation.
We over-compensate in many ways in an attempt to cope with the barrage of input, the deadlines, and the pressure:
- Over thinking
- Micro-managing
- Over working
- Developing addictions
- Staying busy.
- Not delegating.
This then leads us to compounded stress which may start to impact our health, families, spouses, colleagues etc.
At some point your body will give up and what I call, the Mack Truck may appear, seemingly from no-where.
Practice owners suddenly find they are either sick or becoming sick. Disease starts to set in, our blood pressure is high, and our Cholesterol elevated, our Cortisol way too high. Our organs and tissues start to show the pathological changes related to chronic stress.
At this point if we are still in denial we then decide to continue our addictions and other behaviors as part of a warped reality that this will help keep us going. We head to our GP’s and ask for pills and fail to have those critical conversations with those critical people in our lives.
Our practices keep going however, those around us can see the cracks.
And deep down we know they can see them and so become paranoid. Paranoia leads to more anxiety and so it goes on.
I’ve been a health professional for around 30 years, and run practices with large teams for around 20. I’ve been there. This is not a scenario I’m that unfamiliar with.
So the question is where you at are. Are you doing it too hard? Are you struggling seeing the wood for the trees? Is the bucket full, and splashing over the sides and you can’t see you way to emptying it.
Most allied health practitioners are already trying to maintain and run their practices whilst trying to move into their entrepreneurship, on top of family and home life.
To add to the stress, our entrepreneurship is a whole new world where we know what we don’t know and don’t know what we don’t know. It’s a scary transition.
But don’t worry we’ve all been there or we’re right there in it with you now.
In my experience there’s only one thing to do, let it go, and take a step back. Create some space for yourself and take the pressure off.
Start meditating. Focus on what you are grateful for, then meditate on just 3 goals you want to achieve this week. You’ll be surprised what clarity this brings.
Trust me, you will know what you need to do next and what you need to leverage to others.
Create some space, walk the dog, take a long shower, exercise, meditate…
There is a lot of action in non-action, the art of not-doing.
As my mentor, Marcus Bird once said to me, just ‘let it go’, in every moment, every day, every week.
So next time you’re at the pool with your kids sitting under the big tipping bucket, imagine that’s your mind emptying and cleansing ready to re-fill.
About the Author:
Dr. Andrew Arnold (Chiropractor) is the ‘Practice Leverage Expert’; Principal Chiropractor and owner, Cranbourne Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centre; Accredited Business Coach; Founder, Million Dollar Wellness Practice. Andrew is married to Dr. Linda Wilson, the Stress Specialist and has two children, Isaac and Bella. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.