Many of us consider the new year as a “fresh start”, which makes it a great opportunity to incorporate healthy habits into our daily routine. Habits do not require willpower or conscious planning, which helps to ease our mental burden and reduce decision fatigue.

With holidays just around the corner, you are starting to feel anxious about fitting everything in while working full-time and looking after your loved ones at home. You normally get through the chaos this time of year with coping strategies and pushing through, but you end up more exhausted (and often sick) by the end of it. Answer: People often mistake coping strategies for self-care, which can lead to a vicious cycle of stress – coping – exhaustion – illness. While coping strategies, such...

The fall has felt incredibly overwhelming, and the holidays are coming up fast. You hear people talking about mindfulness and meditation as ways to curb stress, but you have no idea where to begin. Answer: Mindfulness means having an awareness of experiences in the present moment as they are happening. It is cultivated by noticing thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they come up, and not getting swept away by judgments or distractions. During moments of overwhelm, taking a moment to notice...

The time of year when the days get shorter always seems to wreak havoc on your mood and sleep. And with the return to standard time looming, you worry that your sleep will be disrupted even more. Answer: Many people in northern climates experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), most often when the days become shorter and there is less exposure to sunlight. Studies suggest that mood and energy, as well as sleep, can be enhanced by phototherapy or exposure to broad-spectrum UV light....

Now that summer vacations are over and children are in school, you are getting back to the grind of work, after-school activities, and weekend errands. You are starting to feel like you never have time for yourself, and you are becoming resentful and burnt out trying to meet everyone else’s needs. Answer: Healthy boundaries allow veterinary care providers to foster balance and carve out time for self-care activities. Resentment and burnout are signs of unhealthy boundaries that occur when...

Your caseload and work schedule are busier than ever, which has led you to finish medical records and client communications at home. But now it seems like you never get a break from work, and you are having a more difficult time “turning off” your work brain at bedtime. Answer: Research demonstrates that maintaining work-life separation is a form of self-care because it fosters resilience and it allows for time to engage in non-work-related activities, which are important for wellbeing. While...

Recently you have felt more stressed than normal regarding your records and not being able to write them perfectly. You know that you set extremely high standards for yourself and in the past, this has helped you to excel. Nowadays, you find yourself so preoccupied worrying about what your co-workers will think if your records aren’t perfect that you have procrastinated writing them altogether. Now they are piling up and causing you massive anxiety. Answer: Perfectionism is a trait that many...

You miscalculate a patient’s drug dose by overlooking a decimal. The mistake was noted right away and thankfully the drug could be reversed so the animal was not harmed. Answer: Pet owners would rather know when a mistake is made, even when there is no harm done. Full disclosure of what happened ensures that trust is maintained in the veterinarian-client relationship. Try to sustain the belief that honesty and transparency strengthen these relationships. Apologize for the mistake and share...

A veterinarian in your practice has shared that she struggles with depression. You want to ask her how she is doing but you are worried about making her feel uncomfortable. Answer: It is important to regard conversations about mental health like any other conversation about a person’s physical health. If a person discloses that they have a mental illness, it is okay to check in with them regarding their disease. In this situation, asking “how is your mental health these days?” or “how are you...