Maintaining a balance during the holiday season

Winter’s official start, the solstice, is now upon us.  Although these short days can weigh us down, we know they will soon begin to lengthen, the snow buds will rise up from the ground, and we look forward to seeing whether the groundhog will see his shadow come February. But in the meantime, these short days bring a busy holiday season for many of us, both personally and professionally.  

Reflecting on Christmas challenges for the more than 30 years I have been in Golden, I think the hardest part has been juggling family expectations with the reality of being on call. My hospital operates 24/7 and babies are born and people get sick and injured - sometimes with greater frequency during this hectic holiday season. Golden is a ski town - a destination for many families at this time of year – with lots of outdoor activities, indulgence in rich food and alcohol, and the unfortunate fact that this is also peak season for many viral illnesses. This confluence of forces ensures that many of us in the business of medicine, no matter where in the province we are, never lack for work during this time of year. So given this reality, it is particularly important to take some time to look after yourself during the busy times.

There’s a story I will always remember. A colleague was having Christmas Eve dinner in town when he was called out to accompany an ambulance transfer of a trauma patient. His wife kindly dropped him off, but at 3am Christmas morning when he was done, he found he had no way to get home. There are no buses here in rural BC, and no taxis at that time of night. I was the lucky doctor who had the Christmas Eve night shift and so after clearing out the ER I drove him home – where he still had to do final assembly on one last gift that was still in pieces! Unfortunately I was called back in to the ER, and my family had to delay the gift ritual well past the traditional hour.  In the grand scheme of the universe, no harm was done – our respective families accepted our absences somewhat gracefully, and a couple of patients with serious illnesses were helped in a rather significant way.  My point is, someone had to look after these folks and that year it was my turn.  

I don’t think any of us went into this business expecting our evenings, weekends, and holidays to be solely our time. The nature of our work means we are required to work some of these shifts, but the important thing is that we don’t work every night, weekend, or holiday. Balance is important. This includes learning to say no to a request in a polite and professional way when you just can’t do any more, and be accepting when someone says no to you. I am particularly bad at the former!

Remember the basics. Aim for some sleep somewhere in the chaos, balance in the eating and drinking part of things, and some exercise if you get a chance. Better yet, be active with your families and friends and colleagues. Savour the moment.  Breathe. We need happy and healthy doctors to look after patients well, and to ensure you get the best out of the holiday season both at work and at home.

To those of you working over the holidays or on call, I wish you an uneventful time that allows you to enjoy the holiday season. And for the remainder of my physician colleagues, I wish you restful and relaxing times as we wind down to the end of the year. Happy Holidays and all the best for 2018!