You guys know the drill by now – let’s take a look at the past 7 days, in week 17 of The Weekly Balance.

What went on in my doctor life…

As I write this, I’m on Day One of two much needed days off. It has been a pretty tough week, for many reasons, but chiefly because work has been pretty intense. Nine months into my job as a public health doctor (specialist registrar is my official title), I know for sure this is the specialty I want to dedicate my career to, and I’m grateful for such a fulfilling role, especially during this difficult time. That said, I’m not a machine, and we all need rest, recovery and downtime, even if you love what you do. Although every knows about public health these days, I think much of our work during this pandemic still remains behind the scenes. You as a member of the public will hear from me as a public health doctor if you need to – if you don’t, you won’t, and so we are not as visible as our incredible hospital and primary care colleagues. But we are here. For you – all of you.

As I usually do in these weekly blog posts, I’d likely to take this opportunity to encourage every single one of you to help us to help you. Please stay up to date on the COVID-19 situation via your local health authority and follow the public health advice given. I’ll direct you to the following websites below – which is for you will depend on your nationality and place of residence, but I’ve included those for Irish, UK and USA folks, plus the World Health Organisation which applies to us all:

• The Irish Health Service Executive (https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/) 
• The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (https://www.hpsc.ie/)
• The World Health Organisation (https://www.who.int/)
• The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/home)
• Public Health England (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england)
• NHS (https://www.nhs.uk/)
• The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/)

Stay home. Stay safe. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Help stop the spread of COVID-19 and save more and more lives every single day.

What I’m thinking about…

The value of a simple ‘How are you?’ As I said, this week at work was tough, and being asked by colleagues how I was doing really did make all the difference. I really try to take time to reflect on each day and week I work in the COVID-19 pandemic, and having a team and friends that look out for each other too helps me feel as though I’m not shouldering any emotional burden alone. My tendency sometimes on dark days is to retreat inwards, to switch off, and not seek out connection. While sometimes that is what I really do need, sometimes it isn’t, and picking up the phone to call home or a friend might help more than sitting in silence. A balance of both is working for me right now, and I’m trying to ensure I ask my family and friends how they are doing too.

What I’m reading…

I am thirty pages from finishing The Imposter Cure by Dr. Jessamy Hibberd, and I have loved every single page. This book was on my list for quite some time – self-doubt and feeling like an imposter in certain situations are something we all experience, but it doesn’t often feel like it. This book has for me felt like having a friend sit beside me and show me how to keep my inner critic at bay, while encouraging me to see my achievements and abilities. I’ll share a full book review on my Instagram when I’m finished The Imposter Cure but as you can tell, it’s gonna be an 11/10 from me!

This week I downloaded a new audiobook – Irresistible by Adam Atler. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, which is all about the rise in addictive technology, and how technology gets us hooked on using it. I’m about an hour into listening and really enjoying it so far!

As always, let me know what you’re reading in the comments on this post!

What I’m listening to…

Last week I recorded an episode on my podcast with Daniel Davey, senior performance nutritonist working with professional rugby and elite GAA teams, and creator of the @daveynutrition Instagram account where he shares delicious recipes and nutrition-related content. He is also the author of a brilliant cookbook – Eat Up, Raise Your Game, which I have and love! I loved the chat with Daniel on my podcast – we discussed a few different things including relationships with food and the basics about our three key macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and protein). I hope you enjoy this episode – you can listen in on my podcast when it goes live tomorrow here.

Another podcast I really enjoyed this week was the latest on the Brene Brown podcast Unlocking Us – she speaks to Dr. Vivek Murthy, a doctor and the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, about loneliness, something I know many of us are experiencing in the present time. It’s a long but really interesting listen.

Recipe of the Week

Okay, this week’s recipe is one of my favourite I’ve ever created – Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Squares! Trust me, you want these in your life. I really enjoyed creating this recipe twist on my Classic Banana Bread. As always, tag me if you try these out!

And that’s a wrap for this week gang! If you want to get in touch, you can find me @theirishbalance on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I hope you have a lovely week ahead folks – remember, stay home, stay safe, wash your hands, keep your distance and be kind!

Ciara 🙂 x