There are infinite sources of stress in our days. The competing demands of home, work or school; conflicts with others; illness, injury and addiction; financial stress and debt; suffering from the past, worries about the future; mean bosses, bullies and angry customers.
But we often neglect one source over which we have some control-the pace of the day.
Emergency physicians and family doctors are no strangers to demanding, high intensity workdays. In a typical shift, they may not have time to eat or even go to the washroom. Fortunately for their patients, they do take the time to wash their hands.
The constant pressure to keep up with a never-ending queue can create sufficient mental and physical stress to affect the quality of our work.
Employees in downsized offices, taking on the workload of laid-off colleagues can face burnout from the ever-growing mountains on their desktops.
And let's not forget the mothers and fathers of young children. Their only downtime is when their kids are finally sleeping (hopefully throughout the night).
There is a tempo and rhythm at which we function best. We need just enough challenge to keep growing, moving forward and experiencing the satisfaction of accomplishment. Without such positive stress, we would be stagnant, bored and unproductive.
But too rapid a pace-when the demands of work exceed our capacity to meet them- can lead to physical stress, anxiety, burn out and depression. And if we are acting faster than we can think, we are bound to make mistakes. Quality and productivity suffer. Our sense of well-being suffers.
How can you tell if the pace of the day is right for you?
If you're bored, you could use more challenge and you need to pick up the pace. If you're mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the day, your pace and workload are overwhelming.
If you lose your focus or feel restless at different points in the day, you may need a break. We can get so accustomed to a fast pace that we may never think about slowing down in order to do things right.
We can run on a treadmill for five or more days of the week and long for our brief weekends and distant holidays. I think weekends and holidays are great for spending extended time with the people you love.
Yet we shouldn't wait that long to find balance and rest in our lives. To prevent the cumulative effects of unremitting stress, we need to balance each day. We can't wait for the weekends.
We need our morning recess, lunch and mid-afternoon breaks. It doesn't have to be a game of tetherball or a full-scale workout. A change of tasks, a healthy snack, your favourite music or a stretching break may suffice.
Our bodies are machines that need fuel throughout the day. We don't have big tanks that we can fill with one big meal. To keep our bodies and minds running smoothly, we need daily exercise (at least a good walk) and regular healthy meals.
Attend to the pace of your thoughts- with the goal of being fully present in every waking moment. I encourage medical students to be mindful with each encounter with a patient so that we may be totally focused on the needs of the patient before us. I teach them to view handwashing as a mindful ritual; in this transition between patients, we ensure that we have been complete and thorough with the patient we have just seen and fully awake for the next.
This makes us more empathic listeners, better diagnosticians and safer health care providers.
How is the pace of your day? How present are you in the moments that make up your life?
Dr. Davidicus Wong is a physician and writer. His Healthwise column appears regularly in this paper. You can find his posts at davidicuswong.wordpress.com and listen to his Positive Potential Medicine podcasts at wgrnradio.com.
