By Kat King, AHDI-F

I have been down many roads within the Land of Healthcare Documentation that spans over 37 years.  So much has changed.  I started before there were computers and continue to modify the way I work every year.  Having worked both inside healthcare facilities as an ART (now RHIT) and from home as a transcription service owner and supervisor, the challenge has always been trying to find a balance…how to balance an industry that never closes (including holidays) with that of raising a family and spending time with other activities.  A huge percentage of our industry have become home-based workers, having to learn new platforms, new skills (including, but not limited to speech recognition editing).  As we recuperate from hectic holiday schedules and move into chaotic summer schedules, the need to find balance continues to elude many of us.  It is so easy to push back the other areas of our life in an effort to gain control over our work life, get caught up, and attempt to clear the decks for the next day.

I had an awakening.  While re-evaluating my own work/volunteer/church/home lives, I realized balance is not something I will ever obtain, and more importantly, I don’t think I WANT. Why?  When something is in balance, like weighted scales, there is no movement. It is static. If it were “out of balance,” it would be another issue to deal with; another stressor.

My awakening was the realization that what I really strive for is harmony. Like the music I love to sing and listen to, harmony is a form of balance, but it is constantly changing.  Not every voice or instrument is in the lead or foreground all the time.  With the acceptance that our work-life can be the primary focus (the “lead”) some of the time, it cannot be all the time. Other aspects of our lives need to take the lead in order find harmony.  With troublesome trends being busy lives, hopelessness and burnout, Dean Shrock, Ph.D., author of “Doctor’s Orders: Go Fishing” writes:  “Peace of mind (and improved length and quality of life) come when we are able to be ourselves, which usually is when we are doing what gives our lives meaning, joy, and passion.”

As we begin a new day, week or month, take some time to listen deeply to what you truly desire versus where you are, both professionally and personally. The work we perform is so important to so many patients’ lives.  Are we giving our own lives the same care and attention?  I truly believe our energy should not be in trying to maintain elusive balance, but how to create movement and harmony, giving all aspects of our professional and personal life the opportunity to resonate in perfect harmony.