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We all describe our lives and careers as stressful. In so many different phrases we hear it over and over. But what if believing certains things are stressful is nothing more than a myth?

Welcome to the 2nd episode of my brand new podcast, Stress-Less Physician. I’m your host, Dr. Sara Dill. As a board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist, I was very familiar with stress. So much so that I took time away from my practice and embarked on a journey to find that elusive “work-life balance”. I longed to find a solution and free myself from a potential lifelong career filled with never-slackening stress. On that journey, I learned that stress is a symptom and thoughts are the root cause. In other words, what we think about situations and circumstances and how we respond to them determine how stressful they are.

Armed with this and more freeing knowledge, I became a life coach for doctors to help others learn what I have. The goal of this podcast is to reach more people with these truths, starting with how we think about things. By the way, if you missed Episode 1, I encourage you to go to my website and listen to it. In that episode, I discuss how to feel better.

What You’ll Learn 

Defining terms around stress

• Physiological versus emotional
• A loose definition of stress

Myths and Misunderstandings of Stress

• Origins
• A motivator
• Management of effects rather than cause
• Inevitability

The Caveat

• No blame or shame
• Working toward awareness

Ability and authority to change your response

• Altering perceptions
• Observing other people’s responses

Contact Info and Recommended Resources

Book Recommendation by Dr. Sara Dill: 

The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal

Connect with Sara Dill, MD, The Doctor’s Coach

• Website: saradill.com
• Work with me: saradill.com/coaching
• Email: [email protected]
• Get a FREE consultation with Sara! Sign up here: saradill.com/schedule
• Facebook
• Instagram

A bit about me…

I’m Sara Dill, MD, board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist. I went through life getting straight As, following the rules, and getting into the right schools (Harvard, UC San Diego, Brown). I believed the way to be a good and successful doctor was to work hard, always say yes, and put patients (and everyone else) first. 

But while I was successful, I felt perpetually stressed out, overworked and unhappy. I was always looking for that perfect work-life balance, which never appeared. So I became determined to solve this problem. I had worked too long and hard to simply accept being overworked and stressed out for my whole medical career! 

I took a sabbatical from practice and studied life coaching. I completed two life coach training programs, numerous other courses, read 100s of books, and used coaching to transform my own relationship to work.

What I learned was that stress is a symptom. It all has less to do with the actual hours you work than with your thoughts about your work.

With this knowledge, I took control of my life and stopped being just one more overworked and stressed out doctor. So can you! But you don't have to take years and read hundreds of books to figure it out. I did it so you don't have to. And I’m here to help. Using a combination of coaching tools and mindfulness, I coached myself back into a thriving dermatology practice I truly enjoy. With the rest of my time, I coach other physicians on how to stress-less and enjoy their work and life more.