Moments arise in all of our lives when reactions occur or decisions are made in an instant but which will have repercussions for months or years to come.
Sometimes the trigger is the situation in which we are placed, while on other occasions reaction is prompted by the people we are dealing with or the way in which they behave on a particular occasion. It is well recognised that individuals are more likely to react badly, or to show poor judgement, or to take poor decisions when they are tired or under stress or perhaps preoccupied with other things. We all have those 'final straw' moments, but we all vent our anger and frustration in very different ways.
Part of the challenge for all healthcare professionals is the need to maintain the professionalism that patients have a right to expect from us, and one aspect of this involves 'keeping our cool', no matter how intense or sustained the provocation to do otherwise.
Self awareness
We all have different levels of what is known as 'emotional intelligence'; the ability to understand why we act and think as we do, and how we impact upon others and why. This awareness is the key to maximising the effectiveness of our behaviour. Most of us will admit to finding it easier to deal with some kinds of people than others, although we can't always explain why this is so. It is easy for us to overlook the fact that other people have precisely the same difficulty, so occasionally two people will come together who might better have kept apart. It's nobody's fault, but it is still an accident waiting to happen and the result can sometimes be explosive.
Sticky situations
In the same way, some individuals have a low level of 'impulse control' (in emotional intelligence terms) - sometimes described as 'having a short fuse', and they need to be particularly careful when they are placed in situations where this area of potential vulnerability could be exposed.
Certain people, or certain situations can increase this risk and they need to be anticipated, recognised and effectively managed.
Practical tips
- Find out more about emotional intelligence and the benefits it can bring.
- Acknowledge and actively identify situations which might prove to be difficult and plan in advance how you might best manage them.
- Avoid 'flash points' when you are likely to be tired or under particular stress - for example bear this in mind when scheduling appointments.
- Keep things in perspective: don't allow small issues to escalate into big ones.
- If you know that you have limited impulse control, surround yourself with people who create a calming and stabilising influence, as opposed to people who respond to challenging situations in the same way as you do.
- It is never too late to develop or fine-tune our communication/interpersonal skills, or to change our management style. Remember 'losing your cool' takes seconds, but the result can be a complaint or claim that takes months or years to resolve, and this in turn creates the potential for more 'flash points' because of the additional stress that these cases can impose. Ultimately, the person who is able to keep their professional distance and sense of proportion fares a lot better than the person whose instinctive knee-jerk reactions land them in regular trouble.