Healing is a word or concept used daily in the clinic, hospital, and in passing. Physicians are expected to heal patients, though overall health and comorbidities are complex. Healing can also happen outside brick-and-mortar walls—through downtime, time of nothingness, being around people who energize you, and storytelling.  

With just having gone through the Christmas season, and in some traditions, still in it, my kids and I  have watched Mickey’s Christmas Carol multiple times [and yes, it is a story we all love, hate, or fear].  It is a great story, though I never remember reading the book. I prefer the abbreviated version [approximately 25 minutes] and animated.  Between the week of Christmas and the New Year, I had many random thoughts, including the concepts of the Christmas ghosts—past, present, and future. 

 The Ghost of Christmas Past: 

No one can go back to the past. We can remember, assess, and learn, and we can carry those lessons forward. I don’t like the word “failure,” but I more readily see it as an opportunity to learn. 

What did I learn? How did I apply the lessons I accumulated to the present, and how will I take that forward into the future with me? 

The holidays are hard at times, especially knowing that things will never be the same as they were 20 years ago. Many people have passed or lost touch, yet I carry the memories with me. 

 The Ghost of Christmas Present:  

The current moment is all we have. Time is an illusion, as the past is precisely that; the future is an illusion—it is not promised. 

I think the norm is that we all have plans as humans and physicians. We have all had goals. Some were aced, crushed at 100%, and some have not yet materialized. The key word is YET! It is okay if goals are abandoned, changed, etc. Where you are now, geographic location can be temporary or permanent. The choice is yours. Saying yes to one thing means saying no to another.   

Now, yes, time is an illusion, but what if you prepare for the future? Go ahead! Dream big! Take slow steps. Make it manageable, enjoyable, and not painful. Do you recall the tortoise and the hare? The point is to remember the past, plan for the future, and focus on the now.  

• Gain insight into the now. 

• Understand that life is not set in stone. 

• Know that where you are now is a culmination of steps from the past and can project you into the future. Not all of that is in your control, which is the hard part.  I have learned it the hard way.  

• Surrender, especially to a Higher Power. This has been my saving grace for 2024 and will continue moving forward, at least more so than it had been. 

The Ghost of Christmas Future: 

In my 20s, I thought I was invincible. It was and is false. The concept of death and Aging sits much better with me now, maybe since I have seen so much of it in my circle this past year. Again, time is an illusion. We, as humans, have a plan and trajectory. Life happens, and so does death. I am not trying to be morbid, but we are finite. We have two finite resources as well: Time and energy. How do you want to spend those two precious resources? How can you change your trajectory, if needed?  

[I will defer to the above parts of the blog post.] 

As we ring in the New Year of 2025, I acknowledge my absence, and I apologize for that on a personal level. Let’s say that on the personal front, there have been multiple losses, Grief, and coming to terms with the loss of loved ones, the change in the number of people showing up on a random Sunday morning after Mass, or attending Mass with me. In 2025, I wish everyone to ensure life aligns with their personal or core values. Reidentify them every 3-4 months. We change as people. We grow in emotional, psychological, and spiritual areas.  Things, life, and priorities change. That is okay and normal. The needs and seasons change, as do individual needs. 

So What’s This About Healing? 

Healing happens on multiple levels. For me, it was stillness as much as can be had with small kids, working with all the joy and pain it all brings. I found refuge in my faith, family [especially my kids], coworkers, and yes, even admin at the excellent hospital where I work, as well as wonderful friends.  

Remember, as humans, we are storytellers, which can also be healing. 

Why?  

• Validation 

• Sharing one’s story can lead to being seen, heard, and thus validated. Why does it matter? You may hear or find out you’re not having an isolated experience. One person’s story may be another person’s lifeline.  

• Processing Trauma/Emotions 

• Sharing one’s story can help organize thoughts, emotions, and experiences in an articulated way. The brain can process the event, and eventually move forward. That timeline is variable. 

• Gaining Clarity  

• By organizing thoughts and putting them into words either through writing or verbally expressing them, one may gain clarity.  

• Building Connection and Community 

• Storytelling can create community and human connection. Build that tribe. People can connect through stories via increased empathy and understanding of shared experiences. It’s how we as humans connect—through commonality.  

• Shaping a Potentially More Positive Identity 

• Through storytelling and reflection, it is possible to learn from the past, rewrite the narrative if appropriate, and allow for personal Growth, which can lead to a different identity. To do so may take time, Therapy, support groups, or other positive coping mechanisms, but I do believe it is possible as I have done so.  It didn’t happen overnight but did take years of working on overcoming personal adversity. 

What is The Worthy Physician planning for 2025? 

In the first quarter, I am planning a podcast club. More details will be divulged as the company I am collaborating with updates its interface. It will be a six-week, self-paced deep dive into six specific episodes picked from this last year.  

I am working to incorporate the possibility of CME in the second quarter or sooner. The final details are in the works.  

As a date has not been set, I will be bringing on a co-host in the first half of the year! The Worthy Physician will continue to have guests as well, but I do believe multiple points of view in a condensed time can add value. 

The biweekly podcast release will continue. It is a more sustainable structure for the life changes that have happened. I will shoot for more consistency as I am building a fantastic team! 

There are more plans, but this is where The Worthy Physician is now. Remember, you are worthy, and you are enough! 

Happy 2025! 

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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.