--- title: Physician Burnout and the Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel Illusion description: Let me show how this mind trick keeps us all stuck and some specific steps you can take to shatter this Tunnel Illusion and free yourself - and avoid physician burnout. image: https://www.thehappymd.com/hubfs/images/2017%20IMAGES/2017%20BLOG/physician-burnout-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.jpg --- [![Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W-1.jpg?width=995&height=146&name=Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W-1.jpg "Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W")](https://www.thehappymd.com) ## **The Creative Destruction of Physician Burnout ** [![prevent doctor burnout matrix](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/da1e787d-095f-4485-9d4d-9a9bc4195d86.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/da1e787d-095f-4485-9d4d-9a9bc4195d86) # [Physician Burnout and the Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel Illusion](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/physician-burnout-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion) Posted by [Dike Drummond MD](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/author/dike-drummond-md) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ## ![physician-burnout-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.jpg](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/2017%20IMAGES/2017%20BLOG/physician-burnout-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.jpg?width=150&height=150&name=physician-burnout-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.jpg)**Physician Burnout and the *Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel* Illusion** ***"I'm just hoping there is a light at the end of this tunnel"*** I know you've heard *the little voice in your head* say that before. Me too. Happens to all of us from time to time. These thoughts come up when you are slogging away day after day --  with no visible end to this struggle in sight. You have been going at this issue for a while now, your energy is drained and your inner pessimist comes out. It is extremely common in overwhelmed doctors when you are dancing on the cliff edge of physician burnout. ----- [![(Download the Quick Take and Action Plan Here)](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/61b63dd8-687c-40d5-a532-36ca9d3f111c.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/61b63dd8-687c-40d5-a532-36ca9d3f111c)   ----- **I want you to know something very important ...** ## ***There Is No Tunnel* ! It is an illusion caused by Einstein's Insanity Trap.** **As long as you keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result ... *it will appear you are stuck in a long dark tunnel*.**  The more you do the same things over and over - the longer and darker the tunnel becomes. Your energy, drive and hope are drained and you wonder whether things will ever get better. ## **Let me show how this mind trick keeps us all stuck and some specific steps you can take to shatter this Tunnel Illusion and free yourself. ** ## **This tunnel is not real. ** It is an illusion, a mind trick -- one of the forms of "head trash"  we must recognize and rise above in order to prevent physician burnout.  ## **AND the light at the end is not some sort of random miracle. ** - ***YOU create the light* -- just like you created the tunnel.** - **All it takes is *a small change in your behavior* and a light will form at the end of the tunnel.** - **Step into that light and you are *free of the Insanity Trap*. ** Understand this too ... The light is not some wee little candle flame flickering in the distance threatening to go out at any moment. Not at all. **When you notice that light at the end of the tunnel -- you are witnessing *the full strength of the sun.* ** ------- **[![CLICK HERE to Download the Disruptive Physician's Toolkit [ 10 Specific Ways to Avoid the "Disruptive" Label ]](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/69d11978-7715-43fc-b342-9991613931c1.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/69d11978-7715-43fc-b342-9991613931c1)** ------- Here's what I mean ...   ## **When you take a single new action, the Insanity Trap instantly collapses and you step *straight out into the broad daylight of a new reality.*** No need to continue to struggle, beat your head against the wall, curse your fate, trudge, march or crawl towards the end ... or sit passively wishing/praying/hoping for rescue. ![the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion-einsteins-insanity-trap-stop-physician-burnout.jpg](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/2017%20IMAGES/2017%20BLOG/the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion-einsteins-insanity-trap-stop-physician-burnout.jpg?width=300&height=142&name=the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion-einsteins-insanity-trap-stop-physician-burnout.jpg) **Just take one new action and POP .....** - ***Your new action gives you new results.*** - **You are instantly *standing in the bright sunlight of a new day*.** - **If you turn around  you will see *there is no tunnel behind you*.** - **You new actions have created a new reality.** - ***Nice job!*** ## ** Better still, *baby steps will do the trick just fine.*** ## **![the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion-is-einsteins-insanity-trap-heres-how-to-stop-physician-burnout.jpg](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/2017%20IMAGES/2017%20BLOG/the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion-is-einsteins-insanity-trap-heres-how-to-stop-physician-burnout.jpg?width=200&height=256&name=the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion-is-einsteins-insanity-trap-heres-how-to-stop-physician-burnout.jpg)** **The size of the new action you take is not important.**  Even a little tiny baby step still gives you new results -- and ***POOF !! ***- tunnel gone, standing in the light (again!). ## **AND any new action anywhere in your life or practice has the same power to deliver you into the light.** **That's right. ANY new action in ANY area of your personal or professional life will POP you out of that T*unnel Illusion* into the warmth of the sun. ** This weekend could be the time you step out of the tunnel anywhere in your life or practice you are feeling stuck. ============ ## **EXAMPLES:** **Here are some of the small new actions our clients find deliver the most immediate impact and are *the most effective Tunnel Illusion destroyers.*** - Do something new around [EMR and documentation](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/physician-emr-strategy-five-ways-to-get-home-sooner-this-week) - Do something new to create a weekly [life calendar](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/289962/Work-Life-Balance-Schedule-HACK-for-Busy-Doctors) - Schedule a [two week vacation](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/physician-burnout-you-deserve-a-two-week-vacation) if you haven't had one in five years - Work on your [Ideal Job Description](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/290254/Happiest-Doctors-build-this-Venn-Diagram) - Read a chapter in a book for pleasure ... a trashy book, NOT a journal you need to catch up - Be [on the lookout for a patient to say "thank you"](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/306213/Physician-Burnout-Video-Intention-Journaling-and-the-Treasure-Hunt) to you today - Learn why it is [so darn hard for physicians to be good leaders](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/290715/Physician-Leadership-Skills-3-Reasons-Doctors-Make-Poor-Leaders-and-What-You-Can-Do-About-It) - Learn how to [Manage Your Boss](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/369921/employed-physician-guide-to-managing-your-boss) - it is possible! ============ ## **Now it's Your Turn** - **Pick one** of the actions above, or some completely different baby step in this area of your life or practice. - **Put it on your calendar.** - **Take the new action** to implode the tunnel and pop yourself out into the light of a new day. - **Feel the clean, fresh air and the sun on your fac**e. - **Repeat.** ============ ## **PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT:** **What new action will you take this week? ****What is it going to feel like when the sun shines on your smiling face?** Tags: [Physician Burnout](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/topic/physician-burnout), [stop physician burnout](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/topic/stop-physician-burnout) - [Home ](https://www.thehappymd.com) - [Blog ](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog) - [About](https://www.thehappymd.com/about-the-happy-md)   - [ Contact ](https://www.thehappymd.com/contact) - |  - [Republish Articles](https://www.thehappymd.com/the-happy-md-content-network-signup-r)   || [Privacy Policy](https://www.thehappymd.com/privacy-policy) | [Terms of Use](https://www.thehappymd.com/terms-of-use) | [Anti-Spam Policy](https://www.thehappymd.com/anti-spam-policy) ||   **© TheHappyMD.com all rights reserved** ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Dike Drummond MD", "url" : "https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/author/dike-drummond-md" }, "dateModified" : "2020-08-02T18:13:02.080Z", "datePublished" : "2017-12-08T14:04:41.000Z", "headline" : "Physician Burnout and the Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel Illusion", "image" : [ "https://www.thehappymd.com/hubfs/images/2017%20IMAGES/2017%20BLOG/physician-burnout-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/physician-burnout-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-illusion", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.thehappymd.com/hubfs/Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W.jpg" }, "name" : "The Happy MD" } } ```