For we dental practitioners, finding balance between caring for our patients and caring for ourselves is vital to a healthy career. All too often, I see clinicians literally bending over backwards to provide excellent dental treatment, with little thought of what that could be doing to their body.
We are caretakers.
We are perfectionists.
We understand the value of preventive care.
So lets take those characteristics and apply them to caring for ourselves.
What does self-care in the dental operatory look like?
Incorporating microbreaks into our day, just 20 seconds or so of stretching.
Hydrating our bodies to keep our muscular system lubricated.
Mindfully positioning ourselves and our patients to support neutral posture.
Using our breath to downregulate our nervous system in times of stress.
Remembering we only have one body in this life, and it deserves to be cared for.
The care we offer our patients should be secondary to the care we offer ourselves.