83. Recalibrating when it all falls apart | In real time strategies to reset during a calamity
Jul 25, 2022
auto_awesome
Pediatric hospitalist shares his experience of recovering and recalibrating after a devastating case, turning tragedy into growth. The importance of journaling, reflecting on impermanence, and making purposeful choices. Preparing for difficult events and earning forgiveness by removing self-doubt and honoring learning opportunities.
Cognitive reframing helps in overcoming paralyzing self-criticism and gaining clarity in difficult cases.
Exploring negative emotions and thoughts about a case allows for growth and prevents impairment in future cases.
Tying the lessons learned from an intense case to one's purpose and identity as a physician brings renewed motivation and meaning in work.
Deep dives
Cognitive reframing and gaining emotional control
In this podcast episode, Dr. Sarangan Yuthae Olingum, a pediatric hospitalist, shares his experience of an intense and difficult case. After feeling paralyzed and self-critical, Dr. Olingum went through a process of cognitive reframing to change his perspective of the situation. He focused on taking control of his emotions and acknowledging that the event happened despite him, not to him. This allowed him to gain clarity and move forward.
Checking and managing inner dialogue
Dr. Olingum emphasizes the importance of checking your inner dialogue, recognizing that it is an indication of the obstacle that needs to be overcome. He sought to explore his negative feelings and thoughts about the case instead of shying away from them. By acknowledging and accepting these emotions, he was able to work through them and prevent them from impairing his performance in future cases.
Revisiting purpose and reframing its significance
Dr. Olingum reflects on his purpose as a pediatrician and the privilege of caring for patients and gaining their trust. He reevaluated his purpose and anchored it in his identity, allowing it to outweigh the pain and feeling of failure associated with the intense case. By tying the lessons learned from the case to his purpose, Dr. Olingum found renewed motivation and a sense of meaning in his work.
Earning forgiveness through actionable tasks
To overcome self-doubt and earn forgiveness, Dr. Olingum identified specific actionable tasks. He focused on reviewing the case, addressing knowledge gaps, and reaffirming his skills and abilities. By taking concrete steps to improve himself as a physician, he felt lighter and more at peace with the case, knowing that he was actively working towards growth and improvement.
Making a pact for personal and patient growth
Dr. Olingum made a personal pact with himself and the patient to ensure he would honor the lessons learned and the life that was lost. He regarded this experience as an opportunity to grow as a physician and committed to using the knowledge gained to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. This pact served as a reminder of his responsibility to his patients and motivated him to continue his pursuit of excellence.
When you are at the lowest of lows after a devastating case, how do you recover in real-time? It’s certainly not easy and it takes a clear plan of action to do it well.
In this episode, pediatric hospitalist Sarangan Uthayalingam walks us through a difficult case where nothing was working. He felt frozen in inaction and the patient, a newborn, did not survive. Immediately afterward, he was in a deep emotional hole, profoundly self-critical, and still had his entire shift in front of him with other patients to care for. What happened next was quite extraordinary - a reset, recalibration, and reframing of intent and mental state so that when the next critical infant came in (which they did in short order) he was not only up to the task but a better clinician. Sarangan breaks down exactly how he did this in granular detail.
⭐ Join us at Awake and Aware 2025, a game-changing 3-day workshop from May 5-7 in Bend, Oregon. Learn how to stay cool when the pressure’s on and lock in the mindset you need to flourish. Space is limited.