I Am A Veterinarian! But I Am So Much More!
Many of us dreamed of being Veterinarians since childhood. We raised and nursed numerous animals growing up. We toiled for years getting veterinary experience. We over-achieved in high school and college in hopes of being accepted into vet school. We attained our dream and were admitted to distinguished schools of veterinary medicine. We busted our butts for another four years, some even longer. We absorbed the necessary knowledge and finally earned our DVM degree.
We blazed through the rocky first years after graduation, embracing the roller coaster of successes and challenges. We experienced the complications, the wins, near-misses, deaths, puppies and kittens, the smells, client gifts, mistakes, learning curve, client wrath, and second-guesses. No wonder many of us feel being a Vet is more like an identity than a career!
What happens when you go home, and you want to take off your veterinary hat? Are you able to escape? Can you focus your energy on other things happening in your life? Does your “DVM” title dominate your lifestyle?
Pressing the Pause Button
Being a Veterinarian can be all-consuming at times, making it difficult to completely detach. Our personal lives easily get pushed to the background. The perplexing cases, client clashes, and everyday office stressors are often hard to ignore, even when you’re elsewhere. We have trouble leaving work where it belongs…at work. Although this is appropriate at times, it’s important to set healthy boundaries, and allow your brain a reprieve.
Your Purpose
Most of us have a hard time separating our personal lives from our professional lives. What we do is important and necessary. But it’s not all that we are. We have other things in our lives that deserve attention. Our interests and desires are equally important. We are so much more than our jobs, don’t forget that!
Now, if you’re having a hard time separating work and personal life…and you’re not quite sure what your purpose in life is…it may be time to explore this idea. Why are you here? What’s important to you? What are you truly passionate about? Most of us will say, “caring for animals.” But what else brings you joy? This is where working with a coach can be beneficial.
Sign up for a complimentary discovery session with My Vetamorphosis. We can work together to answer these questions and help determine your life’s purpose. I’ll talk more about this concept in a later post.
Finding Balance
It’s easy to get carried away with work. Veterinary medicine is an intense world. Maintaining balance is essential to our overall well being. It takes effort and energy, but who has that? How are you managing your stress? Are you paying attention to all aspects of your life? Where are you excelling? What areas need work? Periodically check in with yourself to assess how you’re doing. Make sure to ask for feedback from those close to you as well.
Is work tipping the scales? Maybe it’s time to make a change. You have the power to steer a new course and return to a healthy balance.
Take Care of You
We’ve groomed ourselves for this life for years, decades even! Sometimes this profession makes us feel trapped. We have many avenues that require our time and energy. Because we want a satisfying life, we must seek balance. We have a responsibility to ourselves and loved ones, to remember there is more to life than being a Veterinarian. Take care of yourself, and keep sight of what makes you YOU!
