A wonderful sense of well-being and optimal mental health are not just achievable but an amazing experience!
It’s extraordinary to look back at my 43-year career as a busy mixed practice vet and realise that is exactly what I achieved. My last ten years were the best. At the end of 2020, I went out on an absolute high.
But no one ever said to me, “Vet practice is easy.”
It can be extremely challenging and stressful.
The Australian Veterinary Association’s Veterinary Wellness Strategy listed many risk factors vets are exposed to. The top five are:
- challenging client interactions,
- workplace bullying,
- working long hours,
- managing a high workload, and
- dealing with staff shortages.
You could probably list many other reasons.
An industry in crisis
The veterinary industry finds itself in a crisis of poor mental health and well-being.
Not only do we have to juggle a challenging and stressful professional life, but our personal life can also have its own set of problems—financial stress, relationship issues, health matters, and so on, again impacting our health and well-being.
I can relate. In 2008 I faced a complete meltdown. The end result of many factors was crippling anxiety, paralysing fear of failure, and rock-bottom self-esteem. Even a near-death experience!
Okay, so how did I go from a meltdown to optimal living, both professionally and personally?
Well, it’s a long story. It primarily involves a powerful combination of two sciences—neuroscience and positive psychology, the science of well-being—but to cut a long story into just nine words, “I discovered how to wire my brain for success.”
I am now helping vets like you discover this process and achieve the wonderful goal of optimal living.
Now I don’t know “where you are at”, so here are Five Hacks to Wire Your Brain for Calmness, Confidence and Courage to help you on your journey right now… Let’s go!
1. Create an Empowering Avatar
Have you ever imagined a wonderful version of yourself—calm, confident, courageous? Navigating the many and varied challenges of vet practice with ease? Does it sound too good to be true?
It’s time to create that avatar!
Take some time and space for yourself. Okay, that’s hard in the hustle and bustle of vet practice, but you can do it…
Craft a mental image of your ideal self, gracefully facing all those challenges.
As you visualise and embody this avatar, your brain creates a new brain cell network: your avatar!
If you already have an image of “the ideal you,” returning to it regularly, refining and adjusting it to match your environment, will make this brain cell network larger, stronger, and more enduring.
Your brain wires in this empowered version, paving the way for a calmer, more confident and courageous you.
Why it works
Your avatar is a model of yourself. Remembering models guide positive wiring within your brain. As you return to your avatar in your thoughts, more neurons and synapses are recruited into the “avatar” network.
Here’s the miracle of your brain in action: as you focus on your empowered avatar, the brain cell networks controlling your insecurities, anxieties, and fears become weaker, less connected, and less enduring.
How you can use this hack in practice
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer business of practice? I did! My sense of being overwhelmed affected my performance as a vet and even my relationships within my clinic.
I created an avatar of myself under immense pressure yet being able to remain calm. My brain slowly worked its magic, and ultimately, I was complimented on my calmness!
2. Mentally Rehearse Your Success
Enter the theatre of mental rehearsal, where your imagination wields the power to alter your beliefs, emotions, and thinking.
Have you ever watched aerial skiers rehearse their extraordinary moves just before a jump? They cannot make all the moves before the jump because their feet are still anchored to the snow, but in their minds, they are making the jump. Then, they commit—their lives depend on it!
They hardwire their brains to make the right moves at the right time and at the right speed.
You can do the same in your veterinary world!
Your mind blurs the lines between fiction and reality, making this hack a game-changer.
As you visualise and focus on successful outcomes, your brain wires in positive images of yourself in action.
Why it works
Mental rehearsal causes the same positive wiring in your brain as real-life experiences. That’s why actors rehearse before their performances.
How you can use this hack in practice
Whether preparing for a pivotal surgery or a high-pressure consultation, mentally rehearse winning scenarios prior to the real event. The result? Enhanced confidence and courage when facing real-world challenges.
3. Meditation: Nurture Your Mental Fitness
Incorporating meditation into your daily routine cultivates a tranquil mind and enhances well-being.
While meditation is a big subject, here’s a simple way to start:
Relax your shoulder and neck muscles, take deep, slow breaths, and focus on your desired state of mind. Imagine yourself being calm, courageous, or confident.
Relinquish all other distractions. Witness the emergence of mental clarity.
Why it works
Like mental rehearsal, meditation causes the same positive wiring in your brain as real-life experiences. Meditation transforms your brain’s neural connections, alleviating stress and fortifying overall well-being. Extraordinary but true!
How you can use this hack in practice
All strung out after a big day at work? Stressed and tense? Take five to meditate on a favourite memory, and “let it all go.”
4. Mindfulness in Action: Embrace the Present
Embrace the transformative power of mindfulness—the art of living in the present moment. Do not worry about the past—it’s gone. Do not worry about the future—it’s yet to come. Free yourself from the shackles of distractions and totally immerse yourself in the task at hand.
Being fully engaged is a key component of well-being.
Why it works
Like mental rehearsal and meditation, mindfulness causes the same positive wiring in your brain as real-life experiences. This practice wires your brain for a heightened sense of calm and centeredness because you are focused fully on what is important in the moment.
How you can use this hack in practice
What is your task at hand? Surgery, consultations, team meetings, or…? Incorporate mindfulness into your vet practice and observe the ripple effect not only on your calmness, confidence, and courage but also on those around your practice!
5. The Power of Repetition: Practice Makes Perfect!
Unlock your brain’s amazing potential through the simple yet profound principle of repetition.
Whether creating your avatar or learning mental rehearsal, meditation, or mindfulness, practice forms the bedrock of success. When approached with dedication, repetition embeds any practice into the fabric of your mind.
Why it works
With repetition, the strength and number of synaptic connections between brain cells of a new or evolving positive network increase. That’s why practice works.
How to use this hack in vet practice
Well, I bet you sort of knew this hack anyway, didn’t you? But in this case…
Practice for a wonderful sense of well-being and optimal mental health!
Take a step back and reflect on your brain’s transformation as these actions evolve from intentional practices to second-nature habits.
Takeaways
In summary, designing your avatar creates a new brain cell network. Mental rehearsal, meditation, mindfulness, and practice all embed the new network, increasing the number of neurones and synaptic connections involved, and their durability. Truly amazing!
Picture yourself with your new or evolving avatar, navigating the intricacies of vet practice with unparalleled calmness, confidence, and courage.
Your brain, a canvas of neural pathways, mirrors the empowered avatar you’ve created. Let’s redefine success, one neural connection at a time!
These five hacks are an ultra-brief overview of an evidence-based, scientifically proven process called self-directed neuroplasticity.
It’s how I Wired My Brain for Success!
Want to Wire Your Brain for Amazing Success in Vet Practice and Life? And learn more about this mind-blowing, potentially life-changing process? I’d love to talk to you about it.
Let’s have a “virtual cup of coffee.” Click this link to book a 60-Minute Chat with Me, Dr. Rod Irwin.
Here’s to your success! And please share this post with other vets in your practice and network.
The 2021 AVA survey into the mental health and wellbeing of the veterinary workforce found that 40% of the 2500 participants who took part in the survey had experienced a mental health condition in the previous 12 months. More than 50% of respondents indicated their work had a negative impact on their mental health.
Let’s aim for a wonderful sense of well-being and optimal mental health in the vet profession!
