How Mindset can Influence your Clinic in GP Training

1. Arrive early. Simply arriving 20 minutes before your clinic does wonders for your state of mind. How often have you turned up just before it all kicks off, frantically logging on to three of four applications in one go? How often are you stressed as three patients wait outside before you’ve even called your first one in? Arriving that little bit earlier, not having to worry about time as traffic builds, not having to run in hoping that no-one stops you on your way to your room – all do so much for your mindset. You feel in control of time at the outset – nothing is more powerful, or reassuring.

2. Have a preparation ritual. We are creatures of habit, and habit gives our mind comfort. Having a set routine that guides you into your clinic can help settle your mind no-end. Perhaps clearing your emails, ensuring a cup of your favourite coffee is in front of you, checking your favourite blog or newsfeed? Find the combination of things that works for you and fix it everyday – your mind slowly winds up and expects your clinic to begin, rather than being ‘thrown’ in at random.

3. Plan your morning. Knowing what your morning (or afternoon) will entail before you start always helps your mind prepare for the end. Understand which tasks need doing – scripts, lab results, meetings, phone calls, dictations etc. – beforehand. These tend to ‘pop’ up unexpectedly, either in our minds or in reality, usually adding to the hovering stress cloud above. By knowing (to an extent) what needs doing, and preparing your mind for it in advance (even if the list seems endless), it somehow seems less stressful to your mind. It can see the end point – it seems reachable.

4. Expect the unexpected. Of course things don’t always go to plan. As GPs and GP trainees you train to deal with the unexpected. Be it the acute chest pain that walks in, the sudden collapse in the waiting room or car accident outside the surgery – anything can happen (one of the great positives of the job). Actively expecting the unexpected does wonders for how your mind deals with it. If you start every clinic, prepared for something to catch you off guard, when it happens, it seems easier to deal with. Expect at least one thing to ‘break the norm’ everyday rather than hope it all runs smoothly. And if all does run smoothly? Bonus.

5. Focus on something beyond your clinic. Give your mind something to look forward to afterwards. Meeting with friends, dinner at a new restaurant, time with the children – anything you like. Visualising that image in your mind before you start gives your mind perspective and pulls you to the end. Focusing on something positive motivates your mind through a tough clinic – having a ‘blank’ at the end has the potential to make things drag, especially those long on-calls. Give your mind a ‘hook’, keep hold of it, and your mind will guide you through.

Of course, changing your mindset for the long term is not easy, and it takes much more than these 5 simple suggestions – techniques take time, are varied and are very individual. Exercise, relaxation and meditation are methods often used to give your mind the regular breaks that it deserves.

Your mind is an extremely powerful machine, and your mindset is a very powerful tool. Controlling your mindset, rather than allowing your mindset to control you, is a great way to influence your working life.

As a GP trainee, you may be able to control more than you think.

#CanPassWillPass