We all know that moment when we cross paths socially with a patient and they immediately talk to us about medical topics, as though our “doctor brain” is turned on and as though our entire identity can be contained within the role of physician.
You may have been assigned a family role during your childhood that you did not request. You may have developed a role of “overachiever” at some point in your younger years or been delegated a role by an institution or authority. But your identity, your essence, cannot be limited to your roles. People are so much more complex, with individual stories of pain and triumph, than the roles they serve. Do you see yourself as more than the sum of your roles?
You don’t have to please people by playing the doctor role on demand or 24/7. You can say, “my medical brain is off but call my office to make an appointment,” and deliberately prioritize personal relationships in which you can be yourself without expectations of serving in any role.
