Leveling Down after the Surge

Drs. Caroline Gerin-Lajoie & Kerri Ritchie

Just like a motor that requires to be shut off and maintained to prevent overheating, people working in healthcare also need to level down after a busy stretch or stressful period.

At different times of year, or at different times in our lives, we can end up being in the position of going full throttle. We can only maintain this pace for a limited period of time. Then we need to actively recover. To do this, we need to level down. What does leveling down mean to you?

Step 1: Disconnect to protect.  What does disconnect mean for you? Does it mean shifting away from anything connected to work? Do you need to hide your smart phone? Do you need to isolate yourself from others (animals might be allowed!). Do you need to stop keeping up with the news, social media? Do you need to hibernate by taking a longer sleep?

Step 2: What is your Ikigai? This is when you level off. Leveling off means being in the present and taking moments as they come. Both your brain and your body need to recover from a stressful period. Ideally, we are going to focus our efforts and our energy on things we enjoy, in which we find comfort or fulfillment. Start small. Try to stay in the here and now. Notice the joy in the little things. Sometimes when we get too busy, we forget what matters most.

So what is you “Ikigai”? Ikigai is a Japanese term with “iki” meaning to live and “gai” meaning reason.  So, what do you love? Who do you love? Part of recovery is spending time doing the things you enjoy, sometimes on your own or sometimes with the people and/or the pets who matter to you.