Being an orthodontist is not about living a life that is boring. Many people in the industry find it difficult to balance their social lives and their works; this has however proven to have some negative effect on their productivity in many cases.
While your patient may see you as a happy and friendly doctor, deep inside you know that you are not really happy and in most cases you fail to realize that it is as a result of lack of social life. Humans are social animals, and isolating yourself because of work may only result to depression.
A lot of factors contribute to the reasons many orthodontists are not having a social life. While some have a very busy schedule, others are not just the social type. However no matter the category you fall in, the following tips will help relieve stress, depression and improve your productivity and goal of putting smile on people’s faces while living a happy life yourself.
Have a Social Calendar
The worries of paying bills, getting more money, and taking care of family (if you have one) might rob you of having a social life when coupled with your busy daily work schedule. While it is important to concentrate on your work, lack of social life might make your work boring. Similarly excess of social life will also make your work not worth it. This is why it is important to create a balance between your social life and your work. In other to do this you need to create a schedule for social activities so it will not interfere with your work life. With your social calendar, you make out plan on when to go out with friends, spend special moments with your family, and when to focus on your work.
Listen To Good Music
You may be surprised at how much some of your favorite music can increase your productivity and reduce stress. Slotting some of your favorite music once in a while can reduce stress and take your mind away from certain worries while keeping you focused on your daily work life. However you must learn to understand the kind of music that fits each moment. For instance, you don’t but on dance music, when you are meant to concentrate on fixing brackets. You should also know that playing music loud can be a source of distraction for others, including some of your patients.
Listening to the right kind of music, especially when alone will lighten up your mood, and nurture your soul. In other words, the listening to the right kind of music can calm your mind and release the stress of the workday.
Let Go of the Little Things
The kind of addiction you have for work may not necessary mean that your work is zapping your social life out of you. However, the events that are related to your work can be responsible for this, especially those ones you can’t stop thinking about.
For instance, if you are working on this big project, you will always realize that there are mini things that will pop up into your mind. If these things can wait till the next day, then you should let go of it and focus on your social life at the moment.
Define the Things that Are Non-negotiable.
We all know that every day is different from the other; however there are things you cannot sacrifice. Identifying these things will help you avoid watching them, slip away little by little.
So it is with your work and social life. If you give so much attention on one you will find out that the other is gradually slipping away. In other to avoid this, you need to identify the things that are important, from the things that are urgent. For instance why worry about getting more patients when you have a platform like ours?
Involve Your Co-workers in Your Social Life.
The main purpose of socialization is getting to understand and mingle with others, which includes your work place. “As an orthodontist, you need to involve your colleagues in your social life, especially attending work related social events together”- Orthosynetics. Doing it alone does not bring much fun like doing it together. Beside, when you are with your colleague and you are having fun, fresh ideas on how to solve certain problems will flow. In addition, maintaining a social life with co-workers also enhances your work place relationship.
In conclusion, when you find it difficult to balance your social life and your work, especially focusing on your work you will be isolating yourself not just from your coworkers, but also from your family and loved ones. Similarly, excess of social life will make your career suffer.
