You Don’t Need More Time. You Need More Connection.

If you’re a woman physician, you probably feel like “more time” would fix everything.

More time to sleep.
More time to exercise.
More time to think.
More time to not feel like you’re sprinting through life with a stethoscope and a grocery list.

But here’s what I want to offer you: time isn’t the only issue.

A lot of the exhaustion we’re carrying comes from something quieter: a lack of connection.

You can be surrounded by people all day long—patients, staff, your family—and still feel disconnected. You’re there, but you’re not there. Your body is present, but your mind is already doing tomorrow’s to-do list.

And that kind of living wears on you.

Why connection matters

Connection isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It’s part of what keeps us emotionally regulated, resilient, and able to remember that we’re human—not machines.

In my podcast Ending Physician Overwhelm, we’re in Week 9 of a 10-week Recharge Challenge, and this week is all about one thing:

How do we practice micro moments of connection—on purpose?

What connection actually looks like (in real life)

Connection requires one key ingredient: presence.

Not perfection. Not hours of free time. Presence.

Here are three ways to practice it this week:

1) Connection with another human
Choose one moment per day:

• eye contact
• a real question
• a hug where you actually pause long enough to feel it
• a meal where the phone is down and you’re not mentally charting

2) Connection with a cause or purpose
If people feel like too much right now (been there), connect to what matters:

• your mission
• your values
• your “why”
• the work that still feels meaningful, even inside a broken system

3) Connection with yourself
This is the one many physicians have lost:

• notice your self-talk
• interrupt the harsh inner critic
• take a walk without input
• sit in stillness for 2 minutes instead of abandoning yourself with scrolling

If connection feels impossible

If you read this and think, “I can’t access that feeling at all,” please don’t make that mean something is wrong with you.

That’s often a sign of burnout, depression, trauma load, or nervous system overwhelm—and it’s a sign you deserve support.

You are not supposed to brute-force your way back to yourself alone.

Listen to the episode

Episode 208 is called “Connect (Recharge Challenge Week 9)” and it will walk you through what connection is, why it matters, and how to practice it in small, doable ways.

And if you want support applying this to your real life (not your theoretical life), you can schedule a discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/healthierforgood/coaching-discovery-call

You don’t need to become a different person.

You just need more moments where you remember you’re already here.