To overcome stress, doctors turn to spirituality

8220;Do we really enjoy our medical practice. Are we over burdened. Are we losing our peace of mind in the daily squabbles with relatives of patients ailing in our wards.

8220;Do we really enjoy our medical practice. Are we over burdened. Are we losing our peace of mind in the daily squabbles with relatives of patients ailing in our wards. Or are we just performing our duty under severe mental strain8230;8217;8217; These are just a few sample questions that will be raised as part of a unique initiative taken up by doctors for the first time in the district to ensure their 8216;spiritual8217; wellness.

As 8216;spirituality8217; is not taught in medical colleges, the medical fraternity decided to organise a conference on Body Mind Medicine from December 20 8211; 21 at the Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir.

We are treating patients under tremendous strain ourselves. Dealing with trauma victims, children who have witnessed terror and are mentally affected and also handling abusive relatives of patients who die in wards can be tiring. We doctors too need a break,8217;8217;says Dr Devendra Shirole, president of the Maharashtra unit of the Indian Medical Association.

8220;Recently, I had to counsel two children affected by the terror attacks in Mumbai. They were so scared. Will my parents die if I go to school and I am so disturbed, give me medicines were the kind of questions that the children asked me,8217;8217; recalls Shirole who feels at times doctors treating such patients also get stressed.

The participation of the medical fraternity has been enthusiastic, says Dr P Ambikar, president of the General Practitioners Assoication. It is for the first time that such a conference is being organised outside Mount Abu. The conference will also have the involvement of the Pune Municipal Corporation. The conference will be inaugurated by 93-year-old Dadi Janki, Administrative Chief of Prajapita Brahmakumaris International Hqs, Mount Abu.

8220;Even the World Health Organisation has defined health as the physical, social, psychological and 8216;spiritual8217; well being of the individual.8217;8217; Ambikar says this conference is important as it may not deal with medical topics but the need to reach out to one8217;s own soul.

Through spirituality, you find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in your life, says Dr Dilip Sarda one of the organisers of the conference. Spiritual wellness may not be something you think much of, yet its impact on your life is unavoidable. 8220;In fact we feel that we can treat the patient better if we know the role of spiritual health in our lives,8217;8217; says Sarda.

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Tips from doctors to help improve your spiritual health:
Be quiet. Take time for yourself every day, even if it8217;s just before you go to sleep, or when you8217;re driving home.
Be open. Spiritual experiences can happen anywhere at any time.
Practice being non-judgmental and having an open mind
Be receptive to pain or times of sorrow. It is often in these times when we discover how spirituality can help us cope.
Practice forgiveness
Pray, meditate or worship
Live joyfully
Allow yourself to believe in things, that aren8217;t easily explainable