When I heard my client tell me her story, I was reminded of the quote that my mom used to say to me when I was a unruly teenager: "Don't mistreat those people in your life who love you the most."

That of course is easier said than done in a situation when it would be most appropriate.

• Does your temper ever get you in trouble?
• Do you sometimes yell and scream at your family members and then regret it just seconds later?
• How much emotional energy do you waste by overreacting?
• Are any of your bad habits rubbing off on your kids?

Many physicians struggle with the fully loaded workdays and the responsibilities at home. I hear many of them feeling frustrated because their work is taking all their energies away, so that they have nothing left for themselves or their families.

Medicine is a stressful career period. Physicians, now, as always, work harder than most other professions. As a result, physician health has become a recognized topic of importance, interest and research. More and more studies reveal that increasing numbers of physicians and residents feel stress and many are dissatisfied with their professional life.

For today's physicians, the risk of getting burned out on practicing medicine are greater than ever; studies commonly indicate ranges of 30-70% of doctors, nurses, and therapists reporting burnout.

Here are tips to help you get better control of your stress:

Set intentions for your day
If you don't set intentions for your days, you can only react to the situations that are coming at you. If we don't focus and progress with our priorities, overwhelm and frustration can easily set in.

Cut down on volunteer work
Many physicians are heavily involved with volunteer work which is a good thing if you enjoy the work and get lots of pleasure out of it.
If you feel overwhelmed and hardly get a handle on your daily responsibilities, I recommend you to temporarily let go of your volunteer work until you feel you are in control of your life and you have enough energy to give for volunteer work. After all, if you cannot give 100% of your energy and effort to the volunteer organization, you and they are wasting their time.

Delegate tasks
Delegation is an area of personal and professional management that many people struggle with. The difficulty stems from our need to control outcomes and a strongly rooted belief that we know how to do things best. It's hard to let go of control.
So therefore I suggest by starting small. Delegation is a skill and mastering it needs patience, persistence, and practice. Start by giving away small, uncomplicated tasks. As your confidence grows so will your willingness to delegate more.

Ask yourself, how important will this be in a year from now
When our energy level is low, we get stressed out and explode over the smallest things; cannot find a certain file, staff member didn't tuck the shirt in, traffic, line in the grocery store etc.
Any time you feel like the pressure inside of you is building up, stop for a second and ask yourself, "How important will this be in a year from now"? Many times we realize that we get antsy over ridiculously small things and asking this questions puts life situations in perspective.

Say no
One of the biggest challenges that I see in my work with physicians is their inability to say "no". Many physicians are people-pleasers and therefore always put their own needs on hold for others. Doing this over time creates resentment and bitterness in people.

Therefore to protect your own energy and health level, you have to be able to say "no" to other people's behaviors that are damaging to you.

Eat a minimum of at least 2 healthy meals
The more stressed we feel, the more our energy resources deplete. Therefore we have to feed our body highly nutritious meals to fill up its energy tank. After all, would you put water in your Mercedes Benz or Lexus gas tank? Of course not, only the best fuel for the best cars. Use the same principles for your own high performance body; only the best meals for the best body and mind.

Ask for help
Donald Keogh, the former CEO of Coca Cola said, "Success in life is proportionate to our ability to ask for help." You cannot be successful and do it all on your own.
Ask other people for help, empower them by inquiring about their expertise, delegate your weaknesses and focus your time and energy on the tasks you are good at.

Notice your progress
Overwhelm and frustration easily can set in when we feel that we are trapped in a rat race and running in circles. If you set intentions for your days and report your progresses, the results will energize you.
At the end of the day, review your day and recognize the successes and progresses that you made.