Burnout among medical professionals has long been a chronic issue in the healthcare field. But with the additional stresses of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, everyone from physicians to administrative staff are feeling the extra burden of long hours and psychological strain.
Jeff Comer, PhD, MHA, FACHE, has spent more than 20 years as an interim and permanent acute and behavioral hospital CEO. He said that the roots of burnout are ingrained more deeply in our body’s systems than we likely recognize.
As he meets with patients suffering with burnout, Comer offers some direct advice.
“It’s very simple – life is short. Please be happy,” he said. “We all get burned out. It’s just natural. But the key is not to let it become chronic burnout that starts to affect your performance and your overall life. Let’s get it on the table and get you moving on with your life.”
Comer said the foundations of burnout and stress management can best be explained in the study of psychoneuroimmunology, which helps examine the way the brain interacts with the body during times of intense stress.
“Stress management involves all of these different hormonal pathways and neurotransmitter changes, but it also involves the immune system,” he said. “You have molecules in your body called cytokines. These are pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules. The problem is, when you have chronic stress, these cytokines are in your body and they’re creating a lot of damage. So, the blending of psycho-, neuro- and immunology really helps to explain stress better. It also explains the mind-body connection very well.”
Comer said the recent increase in interest in the positive benefits of mindfulness and meditation has demonstrated that neurotransmitters aren’t just limited to the brain but interact throughout the entire body – meaning that diet can also play a big role in combating the physical effects of stress.
“People equate serotonin with depression and wellbeing. The majority of serotonin is actually in your gut, and it’s transported throughout your body via the immune system,” he said. “Many foods can help you to increase neurotransmitter production … so the diet plays a huge component in your mental wellbeing. When you eat well, you have a better feeling than when you eat a lot of junk food. The key is just balance, like everything else in life.”
Comer said that the secrets to stress relief don’t always involve a three-hour workout session or a week-long vacation. Small steps, he said, are just as important to reducing stress and can also lead to healthier brain activity.
“I always tell people, just find that one activity and enjoy five minutes a day to start. You don’t have to do it for hours,” he said. “If it’s just sitting with that cup of coffee, if it’s holding your partner’s hand, going for a walk, playing tennis, doing yoga, riding a horse. It could be knitting, crocheting. It could be reading a good book. It could be meditating. Virtually every human being has something that they really enjoy or that they want to learn.”
Comer also advocates the value of unplugging from the world of social media and even setting aside phones or tablets before bedtime to get better sleep and establish a better mental state.
“There have been some fascinating studies that show that when you turn off social media, even for two to four hours, your psychological measures of health go up dramatically,” he said. “I really recommend to people, every night before you go to bed, turn it off. The blue light from all the screens disrupts your melatonin … so you go to bed in a hyper-aroused state. You can’t fall asleep, and you wake up thinking about this stuff.
“You have to give your mind a break. Our brains are not wired for this. We’re wired for millions of years ago, and we don’t deal well with all of this. Unplugging, getting away from it is so important.”
Comer will be speaking on “Beating Burnout for More Effective Leadership” at MGMA’s Medical Practice Excellence: Leaders Conference in San Diego Oct. 24-27 and will also be featured at MGMA’s Digital Experience (DX) Nov. 16-18.
Hear more from Comer in this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast:
Jeff Comer, PhD, MHA, FACHE, has spent more than 20 years as an interim and permanent acute and behavioral hospital CEO. He said that the roots of burnout are ingrained more deeply in our body’s systems than we likely recognize.
As he meets with patients suffering with burnout, Comer offers some direct advice.
“It’s very simple – life is short. Please be happy,” he said. “We all get burned out. It’s just natural. But the key is not to let it become chronic burnout that starts to affect your performance and your overall life. Let’s get it on the table and get you moving on with your life.”
Comer said the foundations of burnout and stress management can best be explained in the study of psychoneuroimmunology, which helps examine the way the brain interacts with the body during times of intense stress.
“Stress management involves all of these different hormonal pathways and neurotransmitter changes, but it also involves the immune system,” he said. “You have molecules in your body called cytokines. These are pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules. The problem is, when you have chronic stress, these cytokines are in your body and they’re creating a lot of damage. So, the blending of psycho-, neuro- and immunology really helps to explain stress better. It also explains the mind-body connection very well.”
Comer said the recent increase in interest in the positive benefits of mindfulness and meditation has demonstrated that neurotransmitters aren’t just limited to the brain but interact throughout the entire body – meaning that diet can also play a big role in combating the physical effects of stress.
“People equate serotonin with depression and wellbeing. The majority of serotonin is actually in your gut, and it’s transported throughout your body via the immune system,” he said. “Many foods can help you to increase neurotransmitter production … so the diet plays a huge component in your mental wellbeing. When you eat well, you have a better feeling than when you eat a lot of junk food. The key is just balance, like everything else in life.”
Comer said that the secrets to stress relief don’t always involve a three-hour workout session or a week-long vacation. Small steps, he said, are just as important to reducing stress and can also lead to healthier brain activity.
“I always tell people, just find that one activity and enjoy five minutes a day to start. You don’t have to do it for hours,” he said. “If it’s just sitting with that cup of coffee, if it’s holding your partner’s hand, going for a walk, playing tennis, doing yoga, riding a horse. It could be knitting, crocheting. It could be reading a good book. It could be meditating. Virtually every human being has something that they really enjoy or that they want to learn.”
Comer also advocates the value of unplugging from the world of social media and even setting aside phones or tablets before bedtime to get better sleep and establish a better mental state.
“There have been some fascinating studies that show that when you turn off social media, even for two to four hours, your psychological measures of health go up dramatically,” he said. “I really recommend to people, every night before you go to bed, turn it off. The blue light from all the screens disrupts your melatonin … so you go to bed in a hyper-aroused state. You can’t fall asleep, and you wake up thinking about this stuff.
“You have to give your mind a break. Our brains are not wired for this. We’re wired for millions of years ago, and we don’t deal well with all of this. Unplugging, getting away from it is so important.”
Comer will be speaking on “Beating Burnout for More Effective Leadership” at MGMA’s Medical Practice Excellence: Leaders Conference in San Diego Oct. 24-27 and will also be featured at MGMA’s Digital Experience (DX) Nov. 16-18.
Hear more from Comer in this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast:
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