Goodbye, Perfectionism

Goodbye, Perfectionism

by | Jul 24, 2015 | Life + Work | 0 comments

Starting this blog came with a steep learning curve. I’m no tech whiz and I’m learning as I go along. One of the things I’ve really struggled with lately, in addition to multitasking and rushing (see my post on slowing down) is how to find a sense of ease with consistently writing blog posts and emails. Ease with writing.  Sounds so simple, right? Come up with an idea from a common concern I hear at work. Do a quick outline: intro, discussion, common questions, conclusion. Proofread. Copy/paste to blog. Add a picture. Press Publish. Rinse and repeat. It’s not as if I’m aiming to write the next great short story or poetry collection.  I’m here breaking down topics about periods, vaginas, and menopause.  Pretty concrete, cut and dry things.  So, what’s the problem? Well, I have been grappling with perfectionism that was limiting what I produced for the blog. Then, I had an epiphany about my stress with writing: Much to my chagrin, I realized that I was struggling to create emails and posts because of a fear of not being good enough and a fear of not being liked. Yes, indeedy.  My name is Kristi Angevine, I’m 38 years old and I’ve been working this blog like I was going to get the smack down and be the last kid chosen for dodge ball, all because of my mediocre writing. As you can imagine, that felt ridiculous. Although I used to write a lot in college, (thanks to my humanities-heavy course load and UT-Chattanooga professors, Jackson, Hood, Fulton, etc), it’s been ages since I exercised the skill of...
Slowing down, single tasking

Slowing down, single tasking

by | Jul 24, 2015 | Life + Work, Medicine | 2 comments

This blog is personal.  It’s part Ob/Gyn, part wellness in daily living, and part my own reflections on being a doctor and a mom.  This is a glimpse into the personal side. Recently, I hit a wall.  Too busy at work.  Too busy at home.  Not enough time spent doing the things that matter most.  Even though it’s so obvious to me in hindsight, it took me a while to realize that I needed to pare down my to do list and slow my pace.  And in this process, I ended up taking a much longer than intended break from writing posts and emailing my community. I shared this with my subscribers in an email and here’s what I wrote: The last three months have been a heightened level of busy for me.  Looking back on all the go-go-go-busy-bee-ness makes my shoulders tense and my brow crinkle. Work life:  Lots of babies born and lots of patients in the office. Home life: Maintenance projects.  Air conditioning dying.  (Yes, my family and I are first world, pansies.  Here in the southeast, it was hot, humid and we love our artificially cooled air.) My perception of feeling overly busy is not unique.  Lots of people are overextended. Worn out from multi-tasking.  It’s the new norm.  Hustle to do it all, have it all, advance careers, make more money, be super-parents to super-kids, stay in shape, run a tidy house, keep in touch with friends, and be good daughters, wives, girlfriends, colleagues. This high-octane, do-it-all, have-it-all approach is a recipe for burnout.  Why?  It’s not realistic or sustainable. It’s such a common phenomenon, that...