But with doctors… it's just. It’s crazy to me to think that doctors are expected to figure out why you've been having fainting spells or why you've been having stomach issues for years in like a 10 minute appointment. And when we can't figure that out, then the problem is us. “Oh, my doctor doesn’t care about me. My doctor never listens.” When really the system is working against us.

To my fellow physicians and all colleagues in health care, you are not alone. Please take care of yourselves. And let’s be sure to take care of each other.

That’s where “eat the rainbow” comes in. In the US, less than 1 in 10 adults get enough fruits and vegetables. I think this is a big part of why I have patients coming in all of the time feeling tired and exhausted. Or why they feel like they’re getting sick all of the time. The nutrients we get from plants help to do a lot of awesome things in our bodies.

On lazy days for our family, that’s sitting outside on the patio or drawing with chalk on the driveway. On other days, we go on long bike rides after dinner. I got to spend this summer at home with my kiddo, which was amazing. Every day we would find a new park to drive to and explore.

And while you’re doing that, here are some core habits that go a long way in preventing a lot of physical and mental health problems. I’m not trying to minimize your symptoms. I’m not trying to ignore your concerns. But while the problem solving is going on (whether you find that you’re anemic, are depressed, have a dysfunctioning thyroid, or your hormones are out of whack), doing these 6 things every day can help you start feeling better sooner.

The thing is, we all know that money is important. So important, that we feel shame and guilt and so many other big emotions about it. About not knowing enough about it. About not being good with money.

The decision for me, really, was that at some point I am going to get so burnt out from trying to keep up with everything and never having enough time, that I won't be a good doctor anymore. Those are the ones where patients start complaining, “Oh, they never listen to me. They never have time for me. They shoo me out the door as soon as they can. I can only talk about one problem. I feel like they never listen.” And that's never who I wanted to be.

… these financial stressors kept them awake at night, working longer hours, and feeling more irritable and exhausted. These things kept them from making healthy food choices, finding time to workout or take care of themselves. And it was this horrible cycle that they couldn’t get out of.

On one of my first overnight shifts in residency, a patient was brought into the emergency department after passing out on the doorsteps of our nearby psychiatric hospital. Lots of things happen simultaneously when patients come into the ED like that. Among those, this patient happened to get a dose of narcan. She regained consciousness shortly after this.