Finding peace and joy in the practice of medicine

Although they are healers, physicians are not themselves immune from "secondary stress." In fact, they may be more susceptible to it because they tend not to acknowledge the fact that it exists. In this article, the author, a hospice physician who is a former nurse, explains her personal strategy for combating secondary stress: increased emphasis on maintaining a healthy personal spirituality. Her approach includes morning reflection during her morning fitness activities, making time for family and leisure activities, and, most importantly, incorporating spirituality into her daily work. Bringing her spiritual self to the office and invoking spirituality at the "right" time--not just at set, convenient times--has helped her deal with today's challenges: time pressures, the threat of litigation, reimbursement issues, and misaligned incentives.