Gunila Life Coach

After 15 years as a veterinarian, I burnt out and left the profession, never wanting to go near a clinic again in my life 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

One year later, I'd changed so much that I MISSED being a vet, and I came back.
Six years on, I'm still in ER, and I genuinely enjoy it!

If I had to start all over again from zero, here's what I'd do:

→ Build a very conscious relationship with my own competence, separate from clinical outcomes.

1. Stop treating every (PERCEIVED) bad outcome as proof you're a bad vet (an unhappy owner or not fully diagnosed/treated animal is NOT a referendum on your skill)
2. Take time to journal and be very aware of how my brain automatically tends towards criticising and judging me, understanding that this is not necessarily truth cast in stone
3. Get comfortable not being able to tie every single case up in a bow (in little time, spending as little money as possible)

→ Fix the (lack of) boundaries and people-pleasing that run your whole life.

1. Decide in advance how long you'll spend on notes, stop apologizing for leaving on time, PAUSE before you say yes.
2. Don't take on everyone else's problems, be very clear on your part in their story and how much you're willing and able to take on
3. You're not responsible for everything going on. If you don't want to say yes to extra shifts; don't

→ Stop outsourcing your sense of worth to other people's opinions.

1. Separate "the owners aren't happy" from "I did something wrong"
2. Learn how to cope with complaints and online reviews, because they will come regardless of how good you are (clue: they are never REALLY about you)
3. Stop comparing your career, success or cases to everyone else's highlight reel

The trick here is this: it's not the cases that burn you out, it's the running commentary in your head about whether you handled them well enough.

You'll stop letting your inner critic run the show, and really enjoy your profession.

This is exactly how I came back from not wanting ever to see the inside of a clinic again.

And how I ended up being an emergency veterinarian, now six years in (22 in the profession), and meaning it when I say I enjoy it.

I say this time and time again, but...

You don't have to leave vet med to get your life back. I almost did. What got me back wasn't that the veterinary profession suddenly got lighter, it was me getting better at carrying it.

Pic: Trust a cat to lie on your lap even when summer is ON and fan is blowing your way 😂