Tag:

happiness

Home Sweet Home

{Fairfield, California}

As a fledgling adult who moved away from home for college then medical school, my family often made trips to visit me, especially to drop off or prepare a home-cooked meal (I lived 30 minutes away from home for college and 7 hours away for medical school). Now that I’ve completed all my training, I return the favor for all the support I received and visit them in northern California as often as I can (except I’m not the best cook, so my family probably prefers that I NOT make the home-cooked meals). I am currently staying at my parents’ place this weekend for a mini family reunion and feel pretty excited that I get to reunite with family members visiting from the Philippines whom I haven’t seen in years (and apparently there’s a boxing match everyone’s watching tonight). We all have our own priorities in life and at one point my education and career took precedence over family, but I learned my lesson after missing out on numerous momentous events. Having a lucrative career can bring a sense of satisfaction, but true happiness can’t be attained unless balanced with those who support you the most.

I hope you have a balanced weekend!

May 2, 2015 11 comments

therapy

Restful Week

written by freudandfashion

Have you ever felt guilty about having an unproductive week? That’s how I initially felt regarding this week, but in retrospect, I believe it was necessary to take it easy.

To be easier on myself (which is difficult for a self-critical person like me), I had to keep in mind two of my goals for 2015 (which I discussed in my previous post):

be mindful
be aware of my need for self-care

I felt ill this week and wanted to sleep most of the days, and therefore, couldn’t complete most of my tasks. However, I needed to listen to my body and its need for rest and recovery, whereas in the past, I’d push myself to go to the gym and stay up late until I completed everything on my to-do list. I also had insightful, yet emotionally-draining group and individual psychotherapy sessions, which resulted in me not wanting to write a blog post due to how much thought and psychological overtones I put into my posts. Yet, this is a pattern that has occurred in the past since I first started blogging in 2010, which resulted in large gaps between posts. I am trying to avoid those large gaps this time around and want to let you all know of the reason I’m late with this weekly posting.

What made me feel better was reading statements such as “it’s okay to not be okay,” which is definitely true, however, society makes you feel as if you have to be running on all cylinders ALL OF THE TIME. Which is fine, as long as you take necessary breaks and don’t wear yourself out. However, we are all human, and I often try to help my patients overcome barriers towards being less judgmental on themselves.

As you can see, I’m trying to take my own advice 🙂

January 18, 2015 7 comments

Personal

Fresh Start

written by freudandfashion

{Napa, California}

I’m excited about the new year, but must admit that I’m in a strange transition phase where my professional identity and personal identity are at odds with one another. Most of my life has been devoted to my education and in many ways I believe those years halted my personal development. When most of my childhood friends were getting married and starting their own families, I spent most of my days studying, memorizing, listening to lectures, getting grilled by senior physicians, studying so that I don’t look like an idiot in front of senior physicians, eating, sleeping (then repeat). My free time was spent either catching up on sleep or celebrating to make up for the fact that I spent several straight weeks studying (I think I’ve used the word “studying” way too many times in this post already).

“I wanted to become a doctor so I could serve others. And because of that I’ve lost everything. But I’ve also gained everything.” ~ ‘Patch Adams’

Being in my mid-30’s, I certainly miss the vibrancy that came effortlessly as an energetic 20-something year old. I recall working a 12 hour overnight shift in the Labor & Delivery unit, then heading straight to the airport (with only 1 hour of sleep) and boarding the plane in my scrubs in order to attend my sister’s graduation that day in San Francisco, then flying back the next morning (in my scrubs) to make it in time for another 12 hour shift. Time flew by way too fast. Before you know it, I’m at it again struggling to get a few days off in order to attend my sister’s wedding. I barely had any time to think…and little time to fully enjoy life outside of school. But that’s the path I chose and I am grateful with no regrets. Now that I have a bit more free time, I am mindful that the more I allow myself to savor the present moments and especially invest in my own self-care, the better a person and physician I become. After all, how can I care for others if I can’t take care of myself? In the past, my new year’s resolutions consisted of external measures such as losing weight, getting high grades/scores on exams, etc. But this year my goals are more internal and self-fulfilling…

My goals for 2015:

be present
be mindful
be open to self-discovery
be aware of my need for self-care.

Thought of the Day: What personal goals would you like to achieve in 2015?

Photos by Marlon Santos

January 8, 2015 11 comments

Psychiatry therapy

Mind Over Meds

written by freudandfashion

{Claremont, California}

Some of you may have noticed that although I am a psychiatrist, I rarely comment nor write about my thoughts on psychiatric medications in my blog. I did write a post as a resident physician-in-training in 2010 titled Pill Pusher, which briefly describes my general approach to simplify, minimize, and streamline medication regimens to the least amount of meds needed to provide symptom relief. In some cases, I have successfully worked with my patients to wean off and discontinue all of their psychiatric medications, though the process requires much patience, toleration of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, and numerous non-medication approaches to maintain stability off of meds. And most importantly, I believe a trusting doctor-patient relationship is needed to provide education of potential withdrawal symptoms, encouragement to push forward, and processing fears that may arise from being off medications for the first time in years.

Now, please do not mistake me for a protester against pharmaceuticals — I witness the positive impact that medications can have on enhancing the quality of life of my patients on a daily basis. However, I do not attribute the improvements primarily to medications. My treatment plans generally promote the development of insight and self-awareness of mood patterns, anxiety triggers, etc, and oftentimes explore how past suppressed emotions may contribute to current symptoms, all of which are topics I aim to emphasize in my blog. Medications may stop working or provide temporary relief, but knowledge of one’s self can last a lifetime.

Photos by Marlon Santos

December 20, 2014 2 comments

Psychiatry therapy

Happy Enough?

written by freudandfashion

When my patients struggle to identify reasons for a decline in mood, I try my best to help them make sense of their distraught emotions. In the last week, I’ve had patients share that they feel depressed due to difficulty finding a job, having injuries that prevent them from participating in sports, and the moving away of a best friend. Though there are several theories that can be applied to depression, one theory I often use is derived from Martin E. P. Seligman’s theory of Positive Psychology (Seligman spearheaded research to determine factors that contribute to happiness). One component of the theory involves the pursuit of living a life fully engaged in the following 3 domains:

work (not just having a job, but having one that utilizes one’s strengths/talents)
meaningful relationships (close friends, significant other, family, etc)
leisurely activities (participating in enjoyable activities such as hobbies, sports, etc)

For example, Mr. C comes from a loving, supportive family, feels passionate about art, and obtained a degree in graphic design. He rigorously searches for a job and is unable to obtain one that utilizes his degree. Despite having his family’s emotional and financial support, he falls into a depression when he realizes that he must settle for a job that has nothing to do with his talent in graphic design.

Now, does this mean that Mr. C must find a job in graphic design in order to be happy? Not necessarily because he may strike a balance by immersing himself more in leisurely activities that support his artistic talents such as painting or joining a local art group.

Thought of the Day: Do you participate in activities that utilize your strengths and talents?

References:

Seligman, M.E.P., Parks, A.C., & Steen, T. (2004). A Balanced Psychology and a Full Life. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond, 359, 1379-1381.

Disclaimer: this post describes one therapeutic technique and should not be used to replace treatment with your primary clinicians

October 24, 2014 6 comments