Hi 👋 friends,
🧠 ONE INSIGHT
The picture below is the view from my hotel balcony in the Dolomites in Italy where I’m writing this. Nature, mountain air good coffee makes me happy. Ok time to stop focusing externally and start looking inwards. Here we go!
Believe it or not, psychiatrists today don’t all need to undergo mandatory personal therapy when working with people with mental illness. However, this week I decided the time has come for me to do some work on myself and met with a therapist. I’ve had my first month off of clinical work ever, and sometimes time and distance lead to new perspective and insight that I’ve been operating on autopilot for the last 18 months. I want to start living more intentionally for me, rather than for the expectation of others, but fully recognise I need help to work past my barriers of overthinking and my tendency to rationalise and intellectualise stations (including my own internal battles).
When doing my reaction videos to The Pitt, I’ve frequently observed the characters acting on their own countertransference and being far better at looking after others than they are at looking after themselves – something ubiquitous to all healthcare professionals. We also see the consequences of neglecting your own self-care – burnout, fractured relationships and mental illness. I see this in myself and my colleagues. Burnout is endemic. The pressure to continue is unrelenting. The institutionalisation caused by our healthcare systems makes it difficult to see alternative pathways to a fulfilling career. For me, the moral injury of not being able to provide the level of care my patients need became intolerable, and I struggle to see a future in psychiatry that is primarily patient focused, rather than budget focused; no matter what cognitive errors and distortions my colleagues wish to use to convince themselves that cuts and increasing barriers to access services are in our patient’s interests.
Is that the burnout talking? Or is that the reality of practicing medicine in 2025? I will report back in a few months time to see if and how my perspective shifts as I start trying to unpack my own mind with my first stint of proper one to one therapy.
Who am I?
Hi 👋 friends, thank you so much for subscribing to my newsletter. I’m Elliott, a doctor and psychiatrist in the UK I make content about how to use an understanding of mental health 🧠 to improve our leadership skills. I particularly hope that professionals, entrepreneurs and content creators will find this helpful in knowing how to use their mind as a tool of strength while growing fast.
ONE STRATEGY
When deciding if therapy is right for you, I think it’s normal be be anxious or worried about whether it will help, or more likely what it might uncover. Write down what prompted you to consider therapy at this moment. Naming your reasons (e.g., “I’m tired all the time,” “I feel stuck,” “I can’t talk to anyone about this”) helps clarify your motivation and keeps you internally motivated when doubts creep in, rather than doing it because you feel a sense of obligation to others.,
ONE MINDSET SHIFT
Don’t wait for a diagnosis to start healing. Be proactive not reactive.
ONE QUESTION FOR YOU
If I gave myself the compassion I give others, what would change in my life today?
ONE RESOURCE
Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* by Mark Manson
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* by Mark Manson is a self-help book that argues life’s struggles give it meaning. Instead of seeking constant positivity, Manson encourages readers to choose what truly matters to them—and stop wasting energy on things that don’t deserve their concern. The title isn’t as clickbaity as I though. As a self-help sceptic, I think this is one of the good ones
TV: Shrinking (Apple TV)
If you want a depiction of how to not do therapy, then watch Jason Segel in Shrinking.
Song: “Help” – The Beatles
“Help me if you can, I’m feeling down...”
Too on the nose?
Let’s Connect
▶️ YouTube: / drelliottcarthy
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👨💻 Linkedin: / elliottcarthy
🌍 My website: https://www.drelliottcarthy.com
Before you go…
I’d love to know if any of this resonated with you. Leave a comment if you’re comfortable sharing x
Do check out my reaction video to the most realistic medical TV drama I’ve ever seen, The Pitt:
The most important thing I have sought in my therapy experience is something well undervalued in the post-Cartesian medicinal world, which is a sense of meaning that works with my work but is also independent of it (so that I feel both value and valued beyond just my work). I keep thinking of Frankl's book entitled "Man in Search for Meaning" and how important a sense of meaning and a pathway for its pursuit is for avoiding burnout. One thing I have asked myself when watching Elliott's youtube videos is why have a youtube channel on top of what must be an overwhelming career path. The best answer I could draw from it is that somehow/someway there is profound meaning in it for Elliott.
It's definitely been a challenge not to over intellectualise with regards to my own self care. I think I'm good for now but greater work required in the future 🙌 so I certainly identify with that and the challenge is, that this can cause others to presume you're okay. I wish you all the luck!