Every physician has had a difficult or challenging patient at some point. And, let’s be real, anyone can be difficult for another person, given the right circumstance. But for doctors, especially, demanding patients can be a source of immense stress. The encouraging truth, however, is that it doesn’t have to be, even when the experience is quite negative. There is a solution to handling a frustrating patient, without the extreme solution of dismissing the person from your practice.
Coaching and mindset work are amazing tools that offer a solution. This doesn’t mean that the pain disappears completely or that, when it comes, it’s less legitimate. It simply means that there is hope that interactions will become less personally distressing. That you’ll bring fewer and fewer irritations home. And maybe even come to the place where you can reduce the urge to convince patients of your viewpoint or replay the interaction over and over in your mind. Speaking of which, your mind is where you can make it happen. Let’s talk about how.
“What makes someone challenging or a problem or difficult is our judgment about them, is our thinking about them… other people can’t make us feel anything without our permission.” – Dr. Sara Dill
Want to know more about me and how I learned to stress less? I recorded a trailer for my podcast that includes some of these details. I’ve also included a short bio below.
Welcome to my podcast, Stress-Less Physician. I’m Sara Dill, MD, board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist. Like nearly all physicians, I used to believe the way to be a good and successful doctor was to work hard, always say yes, and put patients (and everyone else) first. I was successful following that pattern but (as is typically the case) I felt perpetually stressed out, overworked and unhappy.
Compelled by the truth that I’d worked too long and
