Many healthcare professionals struggle with the impossible-to-break pattern of saying yes to everything, taking on too much responsibility, and feeling unable to set boundaries. This programming runs deep, and can lead us to act sharply or resentfully.
But our automatic responses – the immediate “yes” when asked to do something, the guilt when we consider saying no – are learned behaviours, not immutable facts about who we are.
In this episode, Dr Sarah Coope outlines a tool that can help you identify triggering situations where you responded in a way you’d rather not, and to use your natural curiosity to find a new response that can become the default.
If we don’t address our patterns of behaviour, we continue down a path that leads to burnout, resentment toward colleagues who ask us for help, and damaged relationships with the very people we’re trying to protect. We end up performing worse, not better, and our relationships suffer because others can’t be authentic with us when they know we can’t say no.
But aside from the tool Sarah brings, there are loads of pieces of practical advice that can help you protect your time and energy without agonising over what others might think of you.
