Almost every doctor can remember a time they came to work exhausted, upset or overwhelmed and convinced themselves they simply needed to "push through".

Perhaps it was after a run of night shifts. Perhaps it was after a patient died. Maybe it was exam stress, relationship difficulties, a family crisis, illness or simply the relentless accumulation of long days and competing demands.

Many of us learn early in our training that coping is expected. Over time, an unspoken message can emerge: good doctors are resilient doctors, and resilient doctors always cope.

The problem is that this is not what resilience really is.

In Medicine we have developed a habit of treating resilience as an individual responsibility. If you're struggling, perhaps you need to be more resilient. If you're exhausted, perhaps you're not coping as well as everyone else.

The problem with this thinking is that it encourages doctors to see distress as a personal failure rather than a normal response to difficult circumstances.

Research shows that medical students and doctors in training experience high levels of psychological distress, burnout and mental health concerns. At the same time, medical education experts have argued that focusing solely on individual resilience ignores the impact of demanding training environments, workplace culture and systemic pressures on wellbeing.

In other words, if you're struggling, it doesn't necessarily mean there is something wrong with you. Sometimes it means you're responding normally to a challenging situation.

As a doctor, one of the most important lessons I have learned is what resilience really is. 

Resilience is not about never feeling overwhelmed.

It is not about working harder when you're already exhausted.

It is not about pretending everything is fine.

True resilience is recognising when something is affecting you, taking steps to recover, and seeking support when you need it.

What Real Resilience Looks Like

The doctors who sustain long and rewarding careers are rarely the ones who simply endure everything on their own. More often, they are the ones who have developed healthy habits and support systems.

Real resilience can look like:

• Having your own GP and seeking care when you need it.
• Talking openly with trusted friends, colleagues, supervisors or mentors.
• Taking annual leave and protecting time away from work.
• Prioritising sleep, recovery and physical activity.
• Recognising early signs of burnout or distress.
• Seeking help before reaching crisis point.
• Supporting colleagues and allowing them to support you in return.

 The good news is that resilience can be strengthened. Research suggests that doctors and  medical students benefit from learning practical skills such as recognising early signs of  burnout, maintaining supportive relationships, managing stress in healthy ways, prioritising  recovery and seeking help early when challenges arise. These skills are associated with lower  levels of burnout and better mental health outcomes.

 Perhaps most importantly, resilience is not about doing everything yourself.

 Seeking help is not evidence that resilience has failed.

 Seeking help is one of the ways resilience is expressed.

 This idea sits at the heart of the Drs4Drs mission. We believe that caring for yourself, caring  for your colleagues and caring for your patients are not separate responsibilities. They are all  part of being a doctor. Supporting doctors to seek help early, access care when they need it, and build sustainable careers benefits not only individual clinicians, but the entire profession. 

A Mental Health Month Challenge

This Mental Health Month, take a moment to think about the last time that you "pushed through" exhaustion, illness, upset or overwhelm. 

What would you have said if a friend, colleague or patient had described the same situation?

Would you have told them to keep pushing through? 

Or would you have encouraged them to rest, seek support, talk to someone they trust, or make an appointment with their GP?

One of the challenges in medicine is that we often extend compassion to everyone except ourselves.

Real resilience begins when we start applying the same advice to ourselves that we would readily offer to others.

Because the goal is not to become a doctor who never needs help. 

The goal is to become a doctor who knows when to ask for it.

And if you're struggling right now, don't wait until things become unbearable. Reach out to your GP, a trusted colleague, a mentor, or a support service such as Drs4Drs. Seeking help early is one of the most powerful acts of resilience available to any doctor.

Need to talk? Please reach out to the confidential 24/7 doctors’ health line – 1300 DR4DRS (1300 374 377) or visit our website www.drs4drs.com.au

Dr Kate Reid - Lead Practitioner Drs4Drs National

References

1. Yuan JH, Reimer R, Minkley M. Beyond resiliency: shifting the narrative of medical student wellness. Canadian Medical Education Journal. 2023. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

2. Michael K, Schujovitzky D, Karnieli-Miller O. The associations between resilience, self-care, and burnout among medical students. PLoS ONE. 2024. [journals.plos.org]

3. Cotobal Rodeles S, Martín Sánchez FJ, Martínez-Sellés M. Physician and Medical Student Burnout: A Narrative Literature Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025. [mdpi.com]

4. Johnson J et al. Reboot coaching programme: a mixed-methods evaluation assessing resilience, confidence, burnout and depression in medical students. Scottish Medical Journal. 2023. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]