October 18, 2021 | 2 min read

Self-Care Isn’t Selfish

By Carolyn Cumpsty-Fowler, PhD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinician well-being is essential to excellent patient care. We endanger our patients when we are burned out and disengaged.

June 2, 2021 | 4 min read

When “No” to Others Means “Yes” to Yourself

By Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, MD, Wayne State University

Self-care requires the courage to say “no” to things that do not reinforce your self-worth, priorities, and purpose. This will allow you to most effectively serve your patients.

July 18, 2024 | 2 min read

The French secret 

By Alisha Dziarski, MS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinicians might consider recommending interactive recreational activities to some patients rather than non-specific exercise guidelines. These endeavors provide exercise, community, and social interaction all in one. 

March 17, 2025 | 7 min read

Caring and uncaring in medicine and beyond 

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Every moment in medicine, and in life, we have the choice to base our actions in caring.  

November 3, 2020 | 4 min read

Beyond Resilience: Fighting the Causes of The Burnout Pandemic

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Clinician wellness should be a shared responsibility between individuals and institutions. Beyond facilitating clinician resilience, institutional transformation is needed.

January 24, 2019 | 4 min read

Cultivating Caring

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Compassion begins with caring for ourselves and working to grow as full human beings. It is not just the lives of our patients that depend on us learning this component of caring, the quality of our own lives depend upon learning this as well.

April 12, 2018 | 3 min read

Creating a Safe Space For Teen Well Visits

By Barry Solomon, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Providing excellent care for adolescents includes creating a safe space for confidential discussions. The clinically excellent pediatrician is able to help support the teen to share sensitive concerns with parents and caregivers.

July 21, 2022 | 7 min read

Building Cultures of Caring

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

We must care for ourselves to care for others. One great place to start is practicing self-compassion.

October 15, 2019 | 5 min read

Simplicity, egalitarianism, and hygge

By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania

Danish clinicians appear to be clinically excellent. The key may be finding your hygge.

April 8, 2021 | 3 min read

How to Support Teens’ Mental Health During The Pandemic

By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Now more than ever, it's critical for parents to check in with their teens on a regular basis. Encourage parents to ask their children directly how they’re doing and to validate that these are hard times.

September 16, 2019 | 2 min read

Is Hospital Design Equitable?

By Diana Anderson, MD, MArch, Clincial Geriatrics Fellow, University of California, San Francisco

Design impacts our emotions, behaviors, and overall health. To ensure design equity for all, the culture of healthcare advocates for patient-centered design, and needs to do so for spaces that affect staff.

April 12, 2021 | 4 min read

Making the Most of Your Daily “Nervous Breakdown”

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

A century ago, a “nervous breakdown” was a socially acceptable way to just take a break and recharge. Now, it’s not. In order to refresh yourself and mitigate burnout, consider scheduling regular time off.

November 15, 2021 | 1 min read

Healthy Social Media Use

By Nicole Cifra, MD, MPH, University of Rochester

Talk with patients about their social media use. Remind them to limit screen time before bed in order to sleep well and stay healthy.

June 21, 2023 | 2 min read

Cultivating Healthy Social Media Practices

By Jennifer Katzenstein, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When discussing safe social media use, help patients to set their own boundaries around time spent online. With young people especially, discuss cyberbullying and online privacy.  

August 20, 2019 | 5 min read

How to Make Family Dinner Happen at Least Once a Week

By David Cohen, MD, Rutgers Health, Mital Patel-Cohen, MD, Summit Medical Group

Excellent clinicians have to make time for wellness and family bonding. Prioritizing a family dinner at least once a week is one way to do this.

April 14, 2025 | 4 min read

Coping with health system dysfunction 

Healthcare systems place tremendous stress on the workforce; some are trying to make working conditions better. On an individual level, healthcare professionals may be able to reduce burnout by setting boundaries, practicing self-care, and taming perfectionism.  

April 7, 2022 | 3 min read

Doom Your Gloom

By Crystal Favorito, pre-med, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ask your patients about their online behaviors. Doomscrolling—consuming large quantities of negative news online—is an often underrecognized cause of anxiety. 

December 8, 2020 | 3 min read

The Messy

By Cassie Ferguson, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin

Caring for children in the pediatric ED is both rewarding and exhausting. Cultivating compassion for patients and ourselves can help to sustain our practice and our well-being.

August 29, 2019 | 2 min read

Mindful Doctoring in the EHR Era

By Irene Estores, MD, University of Florida College of Medicine

Mindfulness is essential in clinical excellence. Consider these five tips while working with the EHR.

May 30, 2023 | 2 min read

Artificial Intelligence: Artificial? Intelligent? Neither or Both?

By Matthew Peters, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

AI can complement the work of mental health professionals, in addition to performing clerical tasks and analyzing big data for insightful trends.

March 21, 2022 | 1 min read

Coping With Disturbing Headlines

By Jennifer Knetig, PhD, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare, Julia Rose, LISW, Veterans Health Administration, Kelly Buckholdt, PhD, Veterans Health Administration

Many are feeling overwhelmed by the news of the war in Ukraine. Advise patients to find comfort in normal routines, including sleeping, eating, and physical activity. 

May 16, 2023 | 4 min read

Mitigating pharmacist burnout

By Heather Folz, PharmD, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Many pharmacists are trained in and rejuvenated by giving patient-centered care. The support of other healthcare professionals in our mission can help prevent pharmacist burnout.

November 27, 2019 | 4 min read

“Out of office” for real

By Shannon Scott-Vernaglia, MD, Mass General

Taking some time off for the holidays? Be a role model for your colleagues. Turn on a real out of office reply. You’ll never look back, I promise.

July 5, 2019 | 3 min read

Fun is fine, but it isn’t food

By Roxanne Sukol, MD, Cleveland Clinic

We ALL need to address the obesity epidemic by teaching our patients the difference between real food and manufactured calories.

December 21, 2023 | 2 min read

Night owls

By Sara Benjamin, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When patients say they often feel drowsy during the day, discuss a sleep routine that fits with their schedule. And remember to screen for sleep apnea. 

May 25, 2021 | 1 min read

“Put Your Oxygen Mask on First”

By Zeina Moukarzel, MD, MPH, Beirut, Lebanon

If clinicians don’t feel well emotionally, they may not be able to provide excellent care to their patients. When experiencing burnout, it’s advisable to take time off for rejuvenation and to consider ways to advocate for systemic change.

August 25, 2020 | 4 min read

A Real Hero and a Real Human Being

By Andrew Philip, PhD, Primary Care Development Corporation

The pandemic has created more stress for everyone, including healthcare professionals. Finding a relaxing activity to practice regularly can help you persevere.

December 13, 2022 | 3 min read

Mindful Movement

By Ken Koon Wong, MD, Cleveland Clinic

Consider encouraging your patients to practice tai chi to reduce feelings of anxiety and promote relaxation.  

September 8, 2021 | 2 min read

How to Mitigate Caregiver Burnout

By Simone Lescott, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Caring for a loved one can be emotionally exhausting. Remind caregivers to prioritize self-care and encourage them to seek support from others.

April 28, 2021 | 4 min read

The Social Determinants of Clinician Health

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

When half of clinicians are burned out, we clearly need to fix our workplaces. In the meantime, we also need to care for ourselves, our patients, and each other.

July 15, 2020 | 5 min read

5 Steps to Regulate Our Emotions

By William Wright, DO, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sometimes our feelings are difficult to manage. When working with patients and colleagues, recognizing, understanding, and labeling our emotions can help us to respond more thoughtfully.

November 30, 2021 | 1 min read

Filling Your Cup

By Cheryl Barnes-Neff, PhD, MDiv, RN, President, Laurel Oak Group, Online Education & Training

To give excellent care to patients, we must attend to our own well-being. Start by connecting with yourself and your feelings.

December 3, 2018 | 2 min read

Attitudinal Foundations of Mindfulness

By Neda Gould, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In mindfulness meditation, we are not trying to change anything. We are simply becoming aware of what is going on without judging it as good or bad. When we bring our awareness to the present moment, a natural by-product is often relaxation.

June 27, 2023 | 3 min read

Book Review of “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life” 

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Wanting what others desire contributes to dissatisfaction and rivalry. Learning how to separate your wants from those of the crowd will bring you greater happiness and life satisfaction. 

March 11, 2019 | 2 min read

Know Your Resources to Combat Burnout

By Anne Walsh, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Burnout can feel overwhelming, but the first steps in approaching this growing problem are recognizing the symptoms and being aware of available resources to manage them.

May 5, 2025 | 3 min read

Pause. Process. Proceed.

To navigate the emotional aftermath of traumatic patient encounters, clinicians can utilize the ALL-CLEAR framework: Accept the event, Label emotions, Learn from it, take a moment to pause for breath, and CLEAR your mind. This may enable you to bring your whole self to the next patient while honoring your emotions. 

January 27, 2022 | 2 min read

Fostering Connections During the Pandemic

By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

It’s been challenging for everyone to stay social through the ongoing pandemic. Trying a new hobby with a friend, and encouraging our patients to do the same, will help us stay connected through these difficult times.   

October 5, 2022 | 2 min read

Long Drives, Slow Thinking

By Margot Kelly-Hedrick, MD, University of Washington

I no longer think of my long commute as “wasted” time. Spending it reflecting on the lives of my patients has reignited my passion for medicine.

October 6, 2020 | 4 min read

Yoga is Good Medicine

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Yoga can help you to restore and reset your mind, emotions, and spirit during stressful times. This practice may allow you to give better care to your patients.

April 29, 2019 | 1 min read

Drop the Story

By Neda Gould, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When faced with a stressful event, state the facts in one sentence. Anything beyond these facts is a story that the mind creates. Return to the facts - the only thing that is true in this moment.

September 23, 2020 | 4 min read

Lessons From an Elective in Narrative Medicine

By Jade Cobern, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Reflection reconnects you with yourself, opens opportunities for mentorship, and brings greater empathy to patient care.

April 18, 2019 | 2 min read

The Importance of Rest

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Make time for rest in order to lead a good life! This includes not working around-the-clock, prioritizing both work and non-work activities equally, and using your vacation time!

December 18, 2024 | 1 min read

Finding calm in a divided landscape 

By Neda Gould, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Vitriolic political discourse can affect patient well-being. Clinicians can acknowledge this and offer practical coping strategies.

April 13, 2020 | 3 min read

Social Distancing, Not Emotional Distancing

By Loveleena Virk, MD, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Center, California.

Creating space to recognize and manage feelings of helplessness is critical to prevent burnout and maintain wellness during the pandemic. We share strategies in this piece to help you cope during these challenging times.

April 23, 2019 | 1 min read

Reacting Versus Responding

By Neda Gould, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The next time you find yourself in a stressful communication, pause. Take one deep breath - buy yourself a little time with this breath. This pause can change everything.