Yes You Really Do Need Friends at Work and Other Life Hacks, with Dr James Thambyrajah

In this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr James Thambyrajah, a portfolio GP and the outgoing South West Thames Faculty RCGP First5 lead. We chat about how James approaches his work, and the difference in outlook between newly qualified GPs and those of us who are in their mid or late career.We talk about healthy ways to approach our work and the importance of maintaining a good life – work balance, making time for what is important. Mental health problems and burnout are also prevalent in First5 GPs and we talk about how a supportive peer group can help in dealing with the stress. We discuss how work can become bearable when we have good connections at work and how we can build these connections even in the midst of a busy schedule. Since recording this podcast, James and his wife have had a new baby – congratulations James!Podcast links:Follow James on twitter @JThambyrajahRCGP First 5 https://www.rcgp.org.uk/first5 Sign up for downloadable CPD reflection forms plus more tools and resourcesFor more episodes of You are not a frog, check out our website www.youarenotafrog.co.uk and sign up to our mailing list here for loads of useful resources about thriving at work. Follow Rachel on twitter @DrRachelMorris or LinkedIn and find out more about her online and face to face courses for doctors on surviving and thriving at work at www.shapesfordoctors.com or for other organisations at www.wildmonday.co.ukMentioned in this episode:Work Well Webinars – Wellbeing and resilience sessions that actually work. Registration for January is now open

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The podcast for GPs, hospital doctors and other professionals in high-stakes, high-stress jobs who want to thrive rather than just survive. You studied for years, you’re really good at what you do but you’ve noticed that you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, overworked and under-resourced. You may be comparing yourself to a frog in boiling water - the heat has built up so slowly that you haven’t noticed the extra-long days becoming the norm. You may feel on the edge and trapped in the very job that you’ve spent years working towards. Here’s the problem, frogs only have two choices; stay and be boiled alive, or jump out of the pan. The good news is that you are not a frog. You have many more choices than you think you do. You don’t have to quit, and nor should stress and burnout be inevitable. It is possible to be master of your own destiny, to craft your work life and career so that you can thrive even in the most difficult of situations. There are simple changes you can make which will make a huge difference to your stress levels and help you enjoy life again. Your host is Dr Rachel Morris, GP turned Executive Coach and Specialist in Resilience at Work who knows what it’s like to feel like an exhausted frog. In the podcast, she’ll be talking to friends, colleagues and experts all who have an interesting take on resilience for clever people in high-stakes, high-stress jobs so that together you can take back control to beat stress and burnout, survive and thrive.