Being kind to yourself

A while ago I had a very interesting awakening that I think is worth sharing. I speak with literally hundreds of dentists all over Australia and New Zealand and the story from one of them is very important.

Personally, I've always found the practice of dentistry to be stressful.

You're doing something that is technically demanding in a difficult environment on a person who is under stress and running a business at the same time. For me, dentistry has always provided a very good living but there is a price to be paid in terms of mental stress and stomach lining.

But, I thought that it was just my own personal problem – I was unusual. I thought that nearly all dentists love the practice of dentistry – certainly you get that idea from chatting to them at conferences.

My awakening came when I spoke a few years ago with a dentist of similar age to me. This dentist had always seemed to love dentistry. They had a great office, nice staff and a fantastic lifestyle. They appeared to love their patients and all the daily interactions in a dental office.

One evening the dentist shared with me that not all was as it seemed.

This dentist suffered from a creeping feeling of dread that came on on Sundays because they had to go back to work on Monday. This dentist came home and was unapproachable for several hours each day after work. The family had to just leave them alone. Frequently, after work this dentist would sit in front of the TV staring at the screen but not following what was going on. The dentist described their mental state as being like post traumatic stress. This dentist's very supportive partner hoped one day to get back the person they married.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

If so, then you can know for certain that you are not alone. I hope that realization helps you.

Over the coming few months I intend to share some of the best stress-minimization strategies that I have found in my 38 years of dentistry.