US dentist encourages colleagues to take up yoga to de-stress
A US dentist is encouraging colleagues and fellow dental professionals to take up yoga to reduce stress levels.
Dr Alex Barrera started to experience signs of burnout and rising stress levels shortly after taking up his first post at a community dental clinic.
Dentists, Dr Barrera explained, often have busy schedules, but they also take on other people’s stresses and strains. Within weeks, Dr Barrera was suffering from the emotional toll of being a counsellor and a sounding board for his patients, many of whom were vulnerable or came from deprived backgrounds.
Dr Barrera found his job incredibly rewarding, but he started to notice that he was feeling more stressed than usual and spotted early warning signs of burnout.
He started doing yoga to try and manage stress levels and find an escape. Initially, the aim was to do more exercise and reap the physical rewards of yoga, but Alex quickly discovered that his yoga sessions had an amazing impact on his mental health.
Through yoga, he was able to disconnect and clear his mind and it also helped to be more mindful and present when treating patients.
Fellow dentist, Dr Shivani Kamodia Barto, became passionate about doing yoga during college, when she started to experience stress.
She had been taught about yoga by her parents from an early age but she didn’t realise the mental and physical health benefits until she started attending classes as a means of coping with stress and protecting wellbeing.
Drs Barto and Barrera were so enthused by their experiences that they both trained as yoga teachers between classes. Dr Barrera runs sessions outside of work, but he also uses aspects of the practice during his appointments with patients to help nervous patients to feel calm and relaxed.
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