The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:
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Requests for advice and / or encouragement. On basically any topic and for any scale of problem.
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Updates to let us know how you are doing. This provides valuable feedback on past advice / encouragement and will hopefully make people feel a little more motivated to follow through. If you want to be reminded to post your update, see the post titled 'update reminders', below.
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Advice. This can be in response to a request for advice or just something that you think could be generally useful for many people here.
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Encouragement. Probably best directed at specific users, but if you feel like just encouraging people in general I don't think anyone is going to object. I don't think I really need to say this, but just to be clear; encouragement should have a generally positive tone and not shame people (if people feel that shame might be an effective tool for motivating people, please discuss this so we can form a group consensus on how to use it rather than just trying it).
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
New Year's resolution check-in:
How goes it @self_made_human, @thejdizzler, @birb_cromble, @ThomasdelVasto and @falling-star?
I did go to the gym yesterday. First time I've attended my Scottish gym in 6 months at the very least, maybe 8 or 9. Forced myself to. Despite all the aches and the pain and the desire to drag my sorry ass home to rot in peace. Nope, if I'm getting the muscle ache anyway, might as well grow something to show for it. I'm going today too, after work. Holding myself to it.
You have appropriate hospital shoes, right??????
Uh... I think so? I wear Chelsea boots at work. But one of the reasons I'm not a surgeon (there are others, and too many to list) is that I fucking hate standing. I've tried a bunch of different shoes, I suppose, but my back and legs get sore. I'm literally surviving the ward rounds on paracetamol and ibuprofen (and a muscle relaxant, sometimes). And a PPI, because I never quite go full retard.
Quite convinced it's somatoform pain. Still waiting for another shrink to make me their problem.
This is a point of serious Opinion because of our retarded amount of hours worked over here, and while it dials down after residency for most specialities it can be a real deal career limitation factor for surgeons. Foot, leg, and back pain are all connected.
This gets to the point where people are straight up recommending Yoga to Ortho-bros or you have Vascular reading "Becoming a Supple Leopard."
The specific recommendations for footwear are pretty body type, mechanics, and use-case related (I love my clogs but only when I'm doing more standing around than walking, I've seen plenty of residents break their ankles hurrying to a code).
Dig into the shoe discussion on the medicine or residency subreddits you'll see a lot of recommendations. Hoka is a common viable option. Basic orthotics can make a big difference.
Some attention to your footwear and stretching routine can absolutely radically improve your day to day experience.
I'll consider it, thank you. I just make a point of dressing well these days, even at work, when it would be so easy to devolve into scrubs (and look decent in them). A proper shirt. Nice trousers. The shoes. I'm not insane enough to wear a tie just yet. I used to wear crocs to work, once, but while they're perfectly cromulent footwear, I've outgrown them.
I try to get some stretches in when I can. Even if it's while I'm vaping in the shitter. But the pain really is probably psychosomatic, and it's nasty.
More dressy options are out there but I'm not your huckleberry for recommendations on those. I know others have preferences though.
Insoles, orthotics and other nonsense are all entirely internal and viable options.
As for the pain being somatic. I mean yeah. You are a psychiatrist - you know that doesn't mean it is unconnected from everything else. Minimize negative inputs and you'll get a better result.
Additionally if you feel helpless or apathetic about improving your experience, keep in mind how depression might be a contributor.
Lastly, Jesus Christ who still wears ties? The fomite risk alone! But for psychiatry the strangling!
I mean, I'm not wearing a tie. And if I did succumb to temptation, I'd make sure it's one of those ones that clips on and tears off easy. Only hot women get to choke me, on my own terms.
I'll look into things, really. I have learned the hard way to take good advice.
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