Are You Absorbing the System’s Dysfunction? A Mindful Approach to Practicing Medicine

In the current state of health care, it’s not uncommon for physicians and health care providers to feel like emotional sponges, absorbing the frustrations of a system filled with inefficiencies, delays, and disconnects. Many clinicians end up taking on the roles of fixers, advocates, and support systems for patients, families, and even colleagues, often to the detriment of their own well-being. But at what price?

If this speaks to you, you are not alone.

The relentless pace of modern medicine doesn’t merely affect systems—it exhausts the people within them. While it may seem impossible to single-handedly fix a fractured health care infrastructure, you can decide how you live and lead within it.

The Power of Choice in Medicine

It’s one thing to operate within a dysfunctional system—it’s another to internalize that dysfunction. Practicing medicine is challenging and emotionally charged. Time is scarce, resources are limited, and systemic flaws can often seem overwhelming. Nevertheless, physicians still hold a remarkable, frequently overlooked power: the power of choice.

Instead of reacting unconsciously, you can choose to respond thoughtfully:

– Which battles are yours to engage in?
– How do you want to allocate your limited energy?
– What changes lie within your reach and influence?
– Where can you establish limits with integrity and kindness?

Although these questions may not have uniform answers, being aware of them can lead to more intentional and satisfying professional decisions. Every physician plays a distinct role in health care, and your progress begins with a conscious choice—not to absorb dysfunction, but to navigate it with clarity.

From Judgment to Curiosity

Health care operates at a rapid pace. Appointments are brief, documentation is labor-intensive, and the pressure to deliver results is relentless. In such an environment, it’s easy to become judgmental—of yourself, your colleagues, and even your patients.

But what if you exchanged that judgment for curiosity?

Posing questions like “What’s truly happening here?” or “What might this patient need most right now?” creates space for compassion, connection, and improved care. Opting for curiosity helps maintain your humanity while dealing with systemic stress.

Celebrate What Works (Not Just What’s Broken)

It’s no secret that the health care system has its share of challenges. However, it is also filled with quiet, often overlooked instances of significance and resilience: a team uniting around a challenging case, a patient expressing gratitude, a small victory against overwhelming odds.

Taking the time to notice and celebrate what’s going well is not naive—it’s essential. It broadens your outlook, restores your sense of purpose, and rejuvenates your energy to stay engaged.

Redefining Responsibility: What’s Yours to Carry?

Medical training often instills in physicians a tendency toward perfectionism and overachievement—to intervene, remain late, and agree to requests, even when they are worn out. However, the belief that you must shoulder it all is both unrealistic and unsustainable.

The most transformative question you can pose to yourself as a health care provider is simple yet profound: “What’s mine to handle?”

Releasing toxic independence and rethinking responsibilities is vital for the longevity and satisfaction of any health care professional. When you establish boundaries without guilt and cease over-functioning for a broken system, you reclaim the ability to practice with presence and joy.

Mindfulness Tools for Sustainable Practice

Mindfulness transcends being a mere buzzword—it is a crucial coping strategy and leadership skill. As both a practice and a mindset, mindfulness assists physicians in:

– Responding with clarity rather than reactivity
– Establishing purpose-driven boundaries
– Refocusing on what’s within their control
– Dismissing the burden of systemic dysfunction

Integrating mindfulness through practices like mindful breathing, reflective journaling, or professional coaching provides you with the foundation to endure and flourish amid complexity. These skills enable you to present yourself as a competent leader and compassionate clinician—without succumbing to burnout.

Reimagining Your Role in Medicine

The future of medicine does not rely on clinicians doing more. It hinges on them showing up differently.

With increased self-awareness.
With heightened discernment.
With greater compassion—for others and for themselves.

You need not carry the entire system’s burden on your shoulders to effect change. You don’t have to sacrifice your health or happiness for your patients to receive exceptional care.

You can be committed and compassionate without being overwhelmed.

The way forward is not about mending a broken system overnight; it’s about anchoring yourself in how you wish to practice and who you aspire to be. Sustainable, human-centered care begins with you.

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About the Author:

Dr. Jessie Mahoney is a board-certified pediatrician, certified coach, mindfulness and yoga teacher, and founder of Pause & Presence Coaching & Retreats. After nearly two decades of practicing and leading within one of the country’s largest medical groups, Dr. Mahoney stepped outside the traditional model to help clinicians create