Managing Your Worries
Dental offices across Canada may be back open for business, but the stress and anxiety of a pandemic that has gripped the world has not gone away. Although many of the immediate concerns presented by COVID have now been addressed, one larger-than-life concern remains: uncertainty.
“It’s not just about getting rid of anxiety,” says Dr. Safa. “It’s about seeing what anxiety is teaching us in the moment.”
When will dentists finally be able to relax in the knowledge that the profession is back to business as usual?
Dr. Sally Safa, a periodontist from Toronto and an expert in mindfulness for dentists, maintains that this state of uncertainty has now become something of a chronic problem that is causing much stress and worry as it weighs heavily on the wellbeing of many dentists across Canada. And although worry may be a perfectly natural part of life, if left unchecked it can become a bigger problem than the one it was sent to solve.
In this insightful conversation with Dr. John O’Keefe, Director of Knowledge Networks CDA, Dr. Safa stresses the importance of categorizing worries into solvable and unsolvable problems. She recommends carving out dedicated “worry time” and highlights the value of confiding in others.
We hope you find the conversation useful. We welcome your thoughts, questions and/or suggestions about this post and other topics. Leave a comment in the box below or send us your feedback by email.
Until next time!
CDA Oasis Team
