As humans, we often find ourselves becoming overwhelmed with stress in our day-to-day lives. Many of us turn to various methods for managing stress, such as exercising, meditating, or taking medication. However, one powerful yet often overlooked way to decrease stress is simply by listening.

The importance of listening cannot be understated. When we truly listen to others, we show them that we care about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This deepens our Relationships with others and creates a support system we can rely on when we’re feeling stressed.

Additionally, actively listening to others helps us to better understand their perspectives and ideas. We can learn from their experiences and gain insight into new ways of thinking. This expanded knowledge can help us problem-solve and reduce stress caused by unfamiliar situations.

On a more personal level, listening also allows us to slow down and take a break from our own internal chatter. When we focus solely on listening to what others have to say, we can temporarily put our own worries to rest.

Originally Published on https://www.theworthyphysician.com/blog

Sapna Shah-Haque Internal Medicine Physician

Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD is a board certified Internal Medicine physician. She was born and raised in Kansas, and attended medical school at the University of Kansas [KU] School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at KU-Wichita as well. After experiencing burnout herself, and watching other physician colleagues burn out, it became a passion of hers to look into different aspects of burnout. While the system does need to change, as it is broken, this podcast is a way to reach physicians and possibly shed light on what is not an isolated situation.