Reframing ‘Me Time’

"So much of my day-to-day struggle is battling against The Clock,” Norman, a physician tells me.

“And by that I mean being told what to do, when to do it, how long I have, and even how to do it. There’s so little time to just be.”

Once the kids are in bed, he gets to do what he wants. Finally.

He can scroll on his phone, waste time any way he wants.

It’s a sort of rebellion against having so little autonomy over the rest of his day.

Down the rabbit hole — when what you really need is sleep.

“When I am not well rested,” says another physician, “I’m more apt to eat sugar and carbs in attempt to find quick energy. I’m also more susceptible to down moods, feeling less hopeful and more impatient.”

“What needs to change?” I ask.

“I need to get in bed earlier,” Norman says.

Is it really that simple?

Not really, we both know -- and talk about it often.

The medical system is broken.

It put profits above people — medical providers and patients.

Until it is fixed or revamped entirely, any coaching tips are bandaids.

But they are bandaids that can make individual physician lives livable right now.

We all need Me Time.

And it can't wait until the system is overhauled.

Until then, I help Norman reframe Me Time.

Norman devises a simple -- but subversively radical -- plan that promises to help him get more joy out of each day...

It's a new kind of rebellion.

It’s subversive, because if physicians feel better even within a broken system, they will also start to demand more from that system that conspires to take away their birthright of self-care.

For Norman, it’s working — on most days.

There’s even more time than he thought in the mornings, giving him a bit more time to “just be.”

At night, sometimes he sets a timer and allows himself to mindlessly scroll.

He’s also working on forgiving himself when his morning routine doesn’t go exactly as he planned.

Sometimes, you just need to sleep in.