Wellness

Burnout, Stress, Anxiety

We already know dentists are superheroes, but that doesn’t mean you can carry the world on your shoulders. When stress becomes unmanageable, you burn out—and when you burn out, you can’t do your job as well as you’d like. It’s important that you catch the signs of burnout while it’s still in its early stages and seek support. Stress is part of the job, but you don’t have to go through this alone.

Take the first step and take care of yourself:
Call 800-873-7138 or complete the Digital Intake Form at minesandassociates.com
Company Code: codental

One of the easiest ways to seek support when you’re feeling burnt out is through an Employee Assistance Program—or in this case a Member Assistance Program (MAP). The CDA MAP is a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL service that you receive as a CDA member. Through your MAP, you can get in touch with a licensed therapist who can give you a safe place to express yourself and help you make a plan for how to cope with what you’re going through.

The CDA has teamed up with MINES and Associates a leading national psychology firm to provide our members with comprehensive behavioral health and wellbeing services for free.

With MAP you have access to:

• Free and Confidential Counseling (face-to-face, telehealth or even text) for You and Your Household Members*
• Legal Consultation
• Financial Consultation
• Wellness Coaching and Tools
• Mindfulness App
• Crisis Services and Assistance

As a member of the CDA, you and each member of your household get up to 5 counseling sessions per life situation.* (Life situation is defined as a distinct, separate life event. A MINES case manager will review requests for additional sessions.)

Get Started Today: 800-873-7138 or complete the Digital Intake Form at minesandassociates.com
Company Code: codental
This code is used to register for services and access online tools.

This is a completely private service brought to you by the CDA Wellness Committee. No one needs to know that you’re seeing a therapist if that’s something you’re concerned about. The CDA cares about you and member wellness is a priority that we’re committing to with this brand-new member benefit.

Questions?
Contact Erica Carvin (erica@cdaonline.org or 303-996-2842) or Molly Pereira (molly@cdaonline.org or 303-996-2844) at the CDA.

Signs of Burnout

If you know how to recognize signs of burnout when they’re happening, then you can seek support so it doesn’t get any worse.

Some of the most common signs of burnout that dentists report include:

• Emotional exhaustion
• Apathy, or feeling like you are emotionally disconnected from your work
• Helplessness: feeling like no matter what you do, you aren’t doing a good job
• Having less and less time for family and friends
• Lack of energy
• Feeling worn down at the end of a workday
• Dreading going into work in the morning
• Feeling that every minute spent at work is exhausting
• Resentment toward patients
• Self-doubt, and feeling like you don’t make a difference

If you’re unsure about whether or not you’re facing burnout, the American Dental Association has created a Dental Burnout Self-Assessment that you can take online.

When and How to Ask for Help

Many dentists think that a certain level of stress is in the job description; they don’t think they need professional support for something that everyone else in the profession faces, too. While that may be true, to a degree, we all have the capacity to handle some stress on our own. At the same time, when it comes to burnout and your profession, it’s better to get help sooner rather than later.

If you recognized yourself in any of the listed signs of burnout (or the online self-assessment), it’s important that you seek support. This can feel uncomfortable, especially if you already feel like you should be able to handle things on your own. But seeking support is not a sign of weakness. You’re only human, and you can’t do it all. Recognizing the fact that you need support is a sign of dedication toward yourself, your patients and your loved ones. It’s a sign that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to give your best self to this work.

A professional therapist can:

• Listen to your concerns without judgment
• Teach you skills you can use to bring down your stress levels
• Help you make a plan for your life that makes sense to you
• Normalize and validate your feelings
• Help you challenge unhelpful thinking patterns that may be contributing to stress
• Support you in building healthy habits that improve your life