Most of our doctors feel the need to be selfless and many a time feel guilty for taking time off to eat, drink and rest when work awaits. Though this may seem to be a very commendable trait, in the long run it may lead to lesser work output and burnout.it is imperative that doctors put their health first and foremost especially during COVID times and excess work. Here are some tips..

Take time for nutrition and fitness.
• If you are someone who runs on caffeine as a fuel, do try to replace a few cups with water. Add lemon drops for flavoring if water is too bland.
• Set an approximate time for lunch. Never miss breakfast. Take 15 minutes off and let everyone know that you are eating. Eat slowly and mindfully. Try not to think about work or talk on the phone while eating. Mix your carbs with proteins and don’t forget to include cooked vegetables.
• Snack on fruits and nuts. Carry them in a handy box
• Try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. This will keep your mind and body fit
• Try to catch a power nap if you can. If this is impossible, ensure that your night’s sleep (if not working) is protected and you get adequate rest.
• Healthy doctor= Healthy work life= Healthy patients. Please remember this mantra!
There is nothing there to feel guilty about putting one's own health as top priority. SO please spend adequate time to look after yourself .

Author's Bio: 

Dr Radhika is a consultant psychiatrist in Chennai and entrepreneur who has been qualified and trained in some of the world-renowned hospitals in London, United Kingdom.
Dr Radhika says that she constantly strives to go a step further to deliver better psychiatric care every day. She has a vast experience of working in the United Kingdom as a psychiatrist since 1999 and also as a psychiatrist in Chennai since 2018, she specializes in treating a variety of problems in patients with mental disorders. She says that being a psychiatrist in Chennai is both challenging and rewarding at the same time.
Born and bred in Chennai, Dr Radhika graduated from Madras Medical College in the year 1999. What drew her to psychiatry was the holistic approach to treating a person with mental health problems. A holistic psychiatrist does not just look at a person’s health but also their social, familial, environmental and psychological factors in presentation of the mental disorder. Additionally, the fact that every patient, even with the same illness is unique as far as psychiatry is concerned fascinated her enough to qualify as a psychiatrist. She pursued her higher training in psychiatry in United Kingdom in some of the Top and renowned hospitals in the world. Now a psychiatrist in Chennai, she is also aware of the cultural differences in how mental illnesses can present and treats accordingly.
In the year 2004 she obtained the MRCPsych degree from the Royal College of psychiatrists (UK) and went on to do further higher advanced specialist training and in 2008 was awarded the CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) from London, UK.
Dr Radhika is focussed on both clinical and academic side of psychiatry and was also awarded MSC in psychiatric research from UCL, London. She returned to Chennai in 2018 to practise as a psychiatrist in Chennai.
On return to her beloved hometown of Chennai, Dr Radhika realised that information in user-friendly format was not easily accessible to people suffering mental ill health. She believed that here as a psychiatrist in Chennai, the best way to ensure good compliance with psychiatric care and to promote mental wellbeing lay in empowering people with information about mental health, well-being and conditions. She constantly provides information in the form of blogs, you tube videos, books, social media write ups and leaflets. She also believes and delivers psychiatric counselling as well as part of the consultation and as part of telemedicine psychiatry. As a psychiatrist in Chennai, her passion is to bring international standards of care in psychiatry to Chennai and tackle stigma and prejudice associated with mental disorders.
Dr Radhika founded Chennai Minds (CM) as a comprehensive mental health and mental well-being service as a tribute to her dad C Murugesan initialled CM.