Ryan Shephard – How Doctors Unwind

The world of emergency medicine is utterly exhausting, as my good friend and roommate Ryan Shephard will tell you. For people like you and me who are not in the profession, the emergency services work in a crazy world of arrested patients, cuts, blood and lost limbs and worried family members and these miraculous men and women must keep their calm through it all. I have seen and spoken with Ryan about the job and in this world there is no room for emotions, there is no time to be shocked, or saddened or confused, it is a case of do or die and many of them operate on a kind of autopilot. It is when they clock off that it all hits them and this is why they must learn to unwind. I was curious to find out what doctors do to unwind and Ryan did some research for me.

Figure Skating  

I of course wasn’t allowed to find out who has what habits in terms of unwinding but I was told that there was a doctor in there who relied by going figure skating. This doctor had been figures skating since they were young and when it all gets a bit too much for them, they love nothing more than getting the skates on and taking to the ice.

Meditation

Understandably meditation was one of the most common ways in which medical professionals will unwind and take stock of their day. In fact as far as I am aware this is one of the most common ways that doctors and medical staff unwind after a tough day at the hospital. Meditation gives you the chance to arrange your thoughts, take some time out for a while and help give your brain the space and the energy to process what has been going on.

Boxing

Exercise was something which many people alluded to as being a great help in unwinding but it was boxing that seemed to be the most popular. This interested me a lot because I always imagined that these doctors and nurses would prefer to relax away from the chaos, rather than beating the stuffing out of a punchbag. Everyone has different ways of dealing with high emotions however and this is as good a way to relax as any.

Music

Somewhat surprisingly there were a great many surgeons who stated that they love to unwind by playing a musical instrument. We all know how talented these men and women are with their hands so it would be make sense that they would be talented when it came to playing an instrument. Most played guitar and one played the cello and it is clearly a great way in which they can relieve the pressures and the stresses of a long day in the OR.

Do you know any medical professionals, how do they like to unwind? Let us know in the comments section below this post.