Making Peace with Your Inner Critic: A Guide for Physicians

Your inner critic is that harsh internal voice muttering in the shadows of your thoughts, constantly critiquing, second-guessing, and comparing. It may take form as the voice of a family member, a tough or challenging attending from your years in training, or a demanding patient. It might even arrive in the guise of your own voice. It’s not surprising that most physicians have their own version of the inner critic.   

No one likes the inner critic, but here’s what you might not realize: Despite its harsh and heckling tone, constantly telling you that you’re not good enough, the inner critic may actually believe that it’s on your side. It may be trying to protect you from what it senses as impending harm or shame. Your inner critic often emerges from an authentic drive for self-improvement and accountability. But if left unchecked, it inevitably creates an unhealthy cycle of self-doubt, perfectionism, and burnout.

In this article, you’ll learn how to recognize the inner critic as a voice rather than a truth. And you’ll see how you can harness its intentions, putting it to work to develop a more compassionate self-dialogue that allows you to thrive and grow.

Noticing the Inner Critic

Your inner critic might say things designed to make you question yourself, such as:

• "You should have caught that diagnosis sooner."

• "What if you made a mistake during that procedure?"

• "You’re not smart enough to keep up with your colleagues."

The inner critic thrives on echoing your deepest fears, drawing strength from your attention. The more you engage with it, the more amplified and persistent it becomes. That’s why it’s crucial to recognize its influence and take steps to quiet its power.

You might visualize your inner critic as an annoying and unwelcome distant relation, tagging along for the ride. But instead of sitting quietly like a polite passenger, or offering constructive advice, this protective character goes into overdrive, grabbing the steering wheel and becoming harsh and punitive when it senses danger ahead. It might believe that it is trying to protect you. But instead of helping you discover your own route, the inner critic may actually run you off the road and into a ditch.

To create some distance, it can help to give your inner critic a name. Take away its sting by making it something ridiculous or silly.

No matter how you conceptualize it, keep an eye out for this dangerous character. By tuning in to the patterns and triggers of the inner critic, you can begin the process of disarming it.

Facing Down the Inner Critic

Identify Patterns

When does the inner critic tend to appear? Does it strike at a specific time of day, day of the week, or month? Do you notice it when you are doing certain types of tasks?  Or does it show up when you’re exhausted and unable to block out its annoying chatter?

Understanding the recurring patterns can provide insights into the core issues your inner critic is amplifying.

Voices in Your Head

Delve into the narratives your inner critic spins. Recognize its dramatic and querulous nature. When your inner critic surfaces, pay attention to the specific phrases and statements it uses. These may include self-defeating remarks, doubts about your abilities, or a barrage of negative predictions.

Tap into the self-talk your inner critic stirs up and ask yourself if there might be a different way to see things. For instance, if your inner critic says, “You’ll never get this right,” counter it by recalling times you’ve successfully navigated similar challenges. Reframe its negativity into constructive, empowering thoughts. By turning its drama into dialogue, you’ll regain control.

Emotional Impact

Explore how your inner critic drives your emotions. Does it trigger self-doubt, frustration, or a sense of being overwhelmed? What are the underlying fears it amplifies? Can you seek out the root causes? Perhaps there’s a different way to tackle these issues.

For instance, if fear is present, can you dissect it into its parts? What are you afraid of, and what's the worst-case scenario? What skills and knowledge do you already possess? How might you target areas for improvement in knowledge or skillset that might disarm the fear?

Physical Sensation

Consider the physical manifestations caused by the inner critic. Do you notice increased stress, tension, or even physical discomfort? Recognizing your physiological responses can serve as an early warning sign when the inner critic is near.

This is a perfect time to integrate mindfulness techniques like focused breathing or even a brief walking meditation. Just a minute or two can break the spell. When you feel the inner critic approaching, remind yourself to be present in the here and now, avoiding the temptation to ruminate over the past or over-analyze what’s to come.

Excessive Restraint

Pinpoint the actions your inner critic prevents you from taking.  Evaluate how the inner critic seeps into your decision-making process. Does it hinder your ability to take calculated risks or make decisions with confidence? Is it fear or is there something you need in order to gain confidence? Acknowledge the limitations, if they are real, but then make a plan.

Are these limitations that you want to overcome? Envision them as roadblocks and strategize how you might get over, around, or through. You don’t need to go it alone. Perhaps a coach or a therapist would be valuable, depending on the type of obstacle that you’re facing.

Transforming the Inner Critic

Imagine your world without the inner critic. If nothing was holding you back, what are three small actions you'd take immediately in your medical practice or your life? How might that improve your well-being, or your capacity to practice your profession at a level you aspire to?

While it may not be possible to squelch the inner critic completely, there are several important ways that you can disarm it, turning it into an ally instead of a fiend.

Acknowledge Its Intentions

When your inner critic pipes up, pause and ask, “What is this voice trying to protect me from?” Naming the underlying fear—like avoiding a mistake or preserving your reputation—can reduce its intensity while offering a tool for reflection and positive action.

Reframe the Dialogue

Instead of letting the critic dominate, respond with curiosity and self-compassion. For example, “I hear you’re worried I missed something, but I reviewed everything thoroughly.” This turns self-judgment into a productive conversation.

Redirect Its Energy

Channel the inner critic’s vigilance into positive actions. This might include creating a checklist for complex tasks, learning new skills, or seeking feedback from a trusted mentor to grow your expertise.

Balance with Self-Compassion

Remind yourself that mistakes can happen even under the best circumstances. Failure doesn’t always mean that you did something wrong. Learn from less-than-ideal outcomes and move forward. Your patients, family, and community need you.

Why Taming the Inner Critic Matters

What’s your inner critic trying to protect you from? Next time it speaks up, take a moment to listen with curiosity, not judgment. You don’t need to hand over control, but you might be surprised at how much it’s been trying to help.

By recognizing the inner critic as a well-meaning—if sometimes misguided— ally, you can reclaim your confidence, stay motivated to grow, and expertly care for your patients. At the same time, you’ll cultivate the self-compassion you so readily give to others. When needed, a coach or a therapist can be a valuable ally. In the end, taming the inner critic is about becoming the best version of yourself.

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Visual Thinking Strategies for Healthcare Teams: Elevating Collaboration, Care, and Creativity

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a dynamic, evidence-based process that uses art as a springboard for exploration and collaboration within medical teams. By engaging with visual art, physicians and other healthcare professionals can unlock critical thinking and communication skills—cornerstones of effective medical teamwork. These skills not only enhance team cohesion but may also translate into improved patient care and outcomes.

What sets VTS apart is its ability to nurture active listening, cultural awareness, and a tolerance for ambiguity—qualities essential for leaders in our complex healthcare landscape. Over the past three decades, VTS has been widely adopted and studied across universities, medical schools, and healthcare settings, attesting to its versatility and impact.

Unlike traditional arts-based programs, VTS requires no prior knowledge, experience, or even a passion for art. Instead, a work of art serves as a neutral and engaging medium to spark conversations that might otherwise feel forced or uncomfortable.

By focusing on observation and open-ended discussion, participants uncover new insights, foster deeper connections, and gently challenge their own preconceived ideas and biases. This process creates a safe and creative space for professional growth and team development.

How to Access Visual Thinking Strategies

Visual thinking doesn’t require artistic skill or an aesthetic eye; it simply asks you to think differently. Here are a few ways you can begin:

Team Workshops

VTS follows a very specific evidence-based process, so it’s important that your facilitator has been trained in the method.

In a VTS session, a facilitator presents an artwork, allowing participants time for close looking. The process then transitions to asking each individual to describe what they think is going on in the picture. After they have shared their perspective, the facilitator follows up with a question asking them to relate what they see in the work that makes them say that.

Each person takes turns, so no one's interpretation bears more weight than another's. Many times the interpretations differ a great deal between participants. Often, the observations surface ideas or assumptions that the participant may later decide are not exactly what they expected. At times, this might even feel uncomfortable, but since VTS is designed to be supportive, not confrontative, this is part of the unfolding experience.

After everyone has a chance to speak, there is a debriefing that includes a discussion of what might have been challenging or unexpected. We also talk about how this experience might connect to something that would be encountered in the clinic or hospital.

For those in healthcare, Harvard offers an extensive VTS training course that includes an option to apply for certification after completion. As a student of this program, I can vouch for its high quality and engaging, thorough training.

Daily Observational Practice

Spend a few minutes observing an image, whether it’s art, a medical scan, or even nature. Ask yourself: What do I notice? What stands out? How does this relate to my work today? You might use this as a journaling prompt, perhaps setting a timer for 10-15 minutes to give yourself time to go deeper.

Patient Communication

Visual tools can help simplify complex medical concepts for patients, improving understanding and trust. By understanding how VTS works, and putting the method to use in your encounters, you may create deeper and more trusting relationships with your patients.

Why Physicians Can Benefit from Visual Thinking Strategies

More than most professionals, physicians operate in a world of complexity, ambiguity, and precision. Visual thinking strategies can:

• Enhance Diagnostic Skills: By practicing detailed observation through VTS exercises, you can sharpen your ability to notice subtle clinical signs and patterns.

• Improve Team Collaboration: Through VTS, each person has an opportunity to share their own experience of the work being presented. This can open up diverse perspectives, especially in interdisciplinary teams.

• Boost Creative Problem-Solving: Medicine often requires innovative thinking, whether solving a patient care dilemma or optimizing workflow. Visual brainstorming can unlock new approaches.

• Foster Emotional Intelligence: Engaging with imagery—whether art, diagrams, or patient stories—can help cultivate empathy and awareness.

• Improve Comfort with Ambiguity: Patient presentations are often nuanced, diagnoses may be unclear, and treatment outcomes can be uncertain. Developing comfort with ambiguity allows physicians and other healthcare professionals to remain calm, curious, and open to new ways of seeing, enabling them to make sound decisions even in the face of incomplete information.

Why I’m Passionate About VTS

As a physician and coach, I’ve experienced firsthand the ways that VTS can spark new insights and foster confidence and team cohesion. In a profession where burnout is all too common, VTS provides a refreshing, engaging way to reconnect with your sense of purpose and curiosity.

Final Thoughts

Visual thinking strategies offer physicians a unique and valuable way to navigate the complexities of modern medicine. By integrating these techniques into your daily practice, you can enhance your observational skills, improve communication, and reignite your passion for the art of healing.

I’m considering offering a free workshop on VTS tailored specifically for physicians. If this is something that piques your interest, I’d love to hear from you!

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary coaching discovery session, click the button below.

Retirement Planning for Physicians: Introducing the Future Self Exercise

For many physicians, the concept of retirement may seem distant, daunting, or even unattainable. That shouldn’t be surprising. It’s likely you’ve spent the greater part of your adult life as a doctor, and most of your youth studying and striving to become one.

The idea of leaving the profession may seem frankly overwhelming. After so many years of dedicating your life to others’ health and well-being, what does a fulfilling retirement look like for you?

Retirement is different for each one of us. Some people happily move out of the profession and take a new path, never looking back. Others will repurpose some of the skills they’ve acquired and dedicate that to an endeavor such as volunteering or teaching. And, sadly, some physicians mourn the life they’ve given up, never quite finding their footing in the outside world.

No matter where you are in your professional arc, the “future self” exercise is a powerful tool for envisioning and then creating a meaningful retirement. In this article, we’ll explore how you can use this exercise to develop and align your retirement plans with your personal values, dreams, and aspirations.

Introducing the Future Self Exercise

It can be difficult to imagine yourself many years into the future. Instead, a one-to-five-year time line might feel more tangible. That’s partly because it’s normal for our needs, wants, and dreams to change over time. If you think back to the person you were ten years ago, it’s possible that version of you feels very different from your current self. Research on the “future self” confirms that we often perceive this unknown version as an “other.”

Nevertheless, it is important to set yourself up for success and happiness for both the short term and the more distant future. Especially if it’s early on in your professional life, thinking of the future you as a person you care for can foster a sense of compassion and responsibility.

If you’re contemplating retirement, then the future you becomes much more knowable. And in this context, the future self exercise can be especially actionable.

This exercise can help you design your goals both by creating self-awareness and clarity, but also through aligning your current actions with your long-term hopes and dreams. You can’t control the future, but you can take ownership of your direction during this major life transition.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to the Future Self Exercise

Step 1: Set the Stage

• Choose a quiet, comfortable space to reflect on your life from the perspective of your future self.

• Have a journal or notepad ready for capturing thoughts.

Step 2: Imagine your ideal retirement.

• Close your eyes and picture yourself 1-5 years into retirement.

• Questions to consider:

  • What does your day look like?

  • Where are you living?

  • Who are you spending time with?

  • What activities bring you joy and fulfillment?

Step 3: Making an impact

• Staying with the future you, ask yourself:

  • What am I proud of accomplishing since retiring?

  • How am I continuing to make a difference or live meaningfully?

Step 4: Identify values and priorities.

• Still holding the future in your mind’s eye, reflect on:

  • What matters most to me in this phase of life?

  • How do I want to feel every day?

Step 5: Nurturing relationships and connections

• Sitting with your future self, consider:

  • Who are the friends, family, and community that I care about or hope to develop?

  • How am I creating a life that keeps me connected and supported?

Step 6: Carrying strengths forward

• Ask yourself:

  • What strengths and skills from my life as a physician do I use in this next phase of life?

  • How do I ensure that I continue to learn and grow?

Step 7: Write a letter to your future self

• It can be helpful to write a letter to your future self, describing your hopes, goals, and dreams. Seal it and set a date to read it in the future. Create a reminder on your phone or calendar to ensure that you don’t forget.

Translating Your Vision into Action

Once you’ve completed the process, take a look at what you’ve written. Highlight the recurring themes or patterns that stand out for you. Next, set actionable goals that will help you to create the life in retirement that you want to live.

• Financial goals: You may want to enlist a trusted advisor to help you plan out and refine your financial goals so that you are on track to enjoy your retirement without excessive worry about money or savings.

• Lifestyle goals: Begin to define your ideal balance between relaxation, hobbies, and productivity. Physicians often overlook their own health when life gets busy, but pre-retirement is a crucial time to make it a priority so that you are able to enjoy your retirement when the time arrives.

• Relationship goals: Define who you want to share your time with, and in what way. It’s never too soon to work on your relationships and cultivate friendships, even if it means a just brief text or email to keep the lines of communication open.

• Legacy goals: Explore ways to contribute to your community. That could take the form of teaching, mentoring, or volunteering, or anything else that appeals to you. This is a great time to explore areas of interest that you might never have had time for during your working life. You don’t need to make a commitment until you’re ready, but get to know where the needs are, and think about how you might contribute to something personally meaningful.

Although your goals and plans may change over time, the Future Self exercise can be a powerful way to strengthen your vision and jump start your plans. It’s never too early to begin taking small steps now to integrate elements of your future self into your current life.

When your life and identity have been shaped by your profession, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unmoored when you make the decision to retire. It can help to think of retirement as an opportunity to redesign a life that aligns with your values, passions, and aspirations. The Future Self exercise offers a powerful way to gain clarity and intentionally shape this next chapter into something rich, meaningful, and purposeful.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Dealing with Regret: Discovering Growth and Self Compassion

High-stakes decisions with no easy solution, challenging interactions with patients and family, and outcomes that don’t always go as planned: these are unavoidable facts of life for most physicians.  

The lost opportunities or unanticipated consequences may lead to feelings of regret that can haunt you when you least expect it. Although this is completely normal, coming to terms with regret can be difficult. This aspect of professional life is rarely discussed out in the open, making the journey forward all the more arduous.

In this article, we’ll talk about regret, what it can teach you, and how it might help you to become an even more effective physician.

Regret Is Normal, and It’s a Sign of Compassion

Although it can feel crushing in the moment, regret is not a weakness or a marker of failure. Instead, it can help to reframe regret as evidence that you are compassionate and invested in the outcome of your decisions. Whether that’s the well-being of your patients, the strength of your relationships, or the integrity of your work, you wouldn't feel regret if you didn’t care deeply.

Learning from Regret

When you recognize regret in this way, you can break the cycle of rumination and open yourself up to the multitude of lessons it holds, including opportunities for reflection and growth.

Perhaps the lesson is learning to slow down, to listen more closely to your patient, to take an extra breath before responding to a difficult conversation. Maybe it’s committing to take a more active role, advocating more effectively when faced with challenging situations. Or it could be a recommitment to ongoing learning and professional growth.

It’s important to acknowledge that although the past cannot be changed, it can inform the future.

Here are some questions to ask yourself that might help to create mental space for new ideas:

• Are there ways that you can mitigate the consequences, even now?

• What would have needed to happen for things to have turned out differently?

• What actions are within your control?

• What resources might you need that were not available to you then?

• How might you respond next time you’re faced with this situation?

The Importance of Self-Compassion

As a physician, perfectionism is probably one of your driving forces. But at the same time, you may hold yourself to impossibly high standards.  

Although you may never have been taught this in training, at some point in your career, you will very likely make a decision that, in hindsight, turns out to be wrong. Other times, some outcomes will simply be beyond your control.

Self-compassion means treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer a colleague or friend. And at the same time, caring for yourself helps you to stay present and capable of providing the best care for your patients.

Sometimes regret can feel overwhelming, despite your best efforts to overcome it. When needed, professional help in the form of a counselor or a coach can be sustaining.

Turning Regret into Action

It’s important to not only acknowledge regret, but to turn your reflections into action. Use this hard-earned awareness to make adjustments, both big and small, that will help you navigate future challenges with more confidence and clarity. Depending on the source of your regret, it might mean

• Taking a course

• Learning or perfecting a skill

• Seeking feedback or support from a trusted colleague, coach, or mentor

• Implementing measurable changes in a process or procedure

• Practicing mindful communication

• Setting clearer boundaries

• Reaching out to a mental health professional

Moving forward from regret is about progress, not perfection. It's about using each experience to inform your next steps without getting stuck in the past.

Discovering Resilience and Growth

Learning from regret will strengthen your resilience and shape your compassion for others who may find themselves mired in similar situations. Through this process, you will build a toolbox of strategies that will support you through the inevitable challenges in the future.

Regret may never completely disappear, but with time and practice, it can become a guide, pointing you towards opportunities for personal growth and a deeper connection with the values that first led you to find your place in the medical profession.

HALT: A Self-Coaching Stress Management Tool for Physicians

As a physician coach specializing in burnout and professional transitions, I've seen firsthand how the current state of healthcare can push even the most resilient doctors to their limits. Unchecked anger, frustration, and passive aggressive behavior can often be symptoms of the times.

By now you probably know that burnout is not your fault. Nor is it a mental health issue. Instead, it’s the consequence of a broken system.

At the moment, this is the system we are living in. While some headway is being made, the forces that are driving the burnout epidemic are not likely to improve overnight. And while it can be tempting to lash out when you’re stressed, it’s likely to make the situation worse, straining your relationships with colleagues, staff, and patients.

Beyond burning your bridges, the effect that an emotional outburst can have on your own well-being is profound. What’s more, healthcare systems are cracking down on behavior that’s deemed inappropriate or unprofessional.  

Although you didn’t cause the problem, it’s important that you remain mindful of the far-reaching implications of your communications and actions, regardless of the high quality of care that you provide.

To get you back on track, the simple acronym "HALT" – Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired – can be an important tool for self-awareness and self-care.

HALT was originally developed by David Streem, MD, a psychiatrist and addiction specialist, as a reminder to stop and identify the triggers that might lead to a relapse.  But for physicians, the acronym is also an intuitive tool that can remind you to mindfully take a pause and check in with how you’re feeling, and why, when something or someone triggers a reaction.

By using HALT, you can slow your roll before impulsively acting in ways that might harm your personal and professional relationships.

Here's how HALT works:

Hungry

When you're hungry, or “hangry”, even small problems can feel overwhelming. Hunger can make your patience wear thin and your trash your tolerance for stress and difficult interactions.

If you’re like many physicians, being hungry may be your default mode. Although it shouldn’t be the norm, it’s painfully common for physicians to skip meals or eat irregularly due to hectic and overbooked schedules.

Junk food from the snack machine or physician’s lounge might fill you up, but it can make you feel even worse. One straightforward strategy that can help is to pack simple but healthy food for the next day each evening.

But hunger isn't just about food. It's often about other unmet needs, whether emotional, physical, or intellectual.

Take action on hunger by getting in a 10–15-minute break to reset your mind and body once or twice daily whenever possible.  You’ll probably find that when you fill up the tank, even out your blood sugar and slow down your sympathetic nervous system, you’re able to maintain a more balanced mood and energy level.

In the long run, the few minutes you set aside to care for yourself will pay off in more respectful relationships, improved productivity, and better health.

Angry

Anger is a natural emotion, but how you handle it in the workplace is crucial. Unchecked anger can lead to conflicts with colleagues and unpleasant meetings with administrators. When it carries over to the bedside or operating room, it may impact the doctor-patient relationship, undermine teamwork, and even affect patient care.

Become aware of this emotion, and how it feels in your body. When you find yourself getting angry, take a moment to pause and step back. Give yourself time to process, reflect, and move on.

Deep breathing, a short walk, or even bluntly but respectfully discussing your feelings with a trusted colleague can open up a fresh perspective and prevent words and actions that you’ll regret later.

Lonely

If you’re feeling lonely, you may react harshly to stress out of a sense of isolation. Although you’re likely surrounded by people all day, medicine, our profession, ironically, can be a lonely one.

The burdens of responsibility, the fear of making mistakes, the ever-present perception of competition, and the need for confidentiality can all leave physicians feeling isolated.

Acknowledging loneliness is the first step towards seeking connection.  Regular interaction with friends, family, and community, even if brief, can hold back isolation and create a sense of belonging. Finding a hobby that gets you out of the doctor mindset or working out with a group of like-minded people can help as well.

Tired

When you’re tired, everything just feels harder. It’s no surprise that fatigue is a common issue among physicians. Long hours, high stress, and fractured sleep while on call mean that more than 40 percent of doctors surveyed report that their work schedule simply doesn’t allow for adequate sleep.

Chronic tiredness can impair your judgment and your empathy. Although it can be hard to feel compassion for your staff and others though the fog of fatigue, noticing what’s driving your irritation can soften your reaction to stress.

How to Use HALT in Your Daily Practice

• Check In: Before reacting, run through your HALT checklist. This simple pause can reset your frame of reference.

• Be Proactive: Make time for healthy meals, use brief but meaningful stress-relief techniques like mindfulness, get regular exercise, cultivate a life outside of work, and do your best to get restful sleep.

• Seek Support: Don't hesitate to seek professional help if you're struggling with anger, loneliness, or fatigue. Therapy, coaching, and peer support groups can all be helpful, depending on your circumstances.

• Communicate with Colleagues: Foster an environment where it's safe to respectfully express what you’re feeling. This openness can build stronger, more supportive team dynamics.

When you’re feeling reactive, upset, or tempted to lash out, use HALT to take a pause. Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired?

Simply becoming aware of your inner state can help you to defuse a situation and craft a different response. It’s also a great reminder that caring for yourself is neither selfish nor optional if you want to work at your optimum.  

When you take care of your own needs, you’ll find that you will be better equipped to care for those whose lives and well-being depend on you.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.