Focus on Physicians:

Insights, Ideas, and Strategies



Communication, Mindfulness Sarah Samaan Communication, Mindfulness Sarah Samaan

Keep Cool, Connect, and Communicate: Using Mindfulness to Navigate Difficult Conversations for Physicians

If you’re a physician, tough conversations are part of your job. Whether it’s delivering a serious diagnosis or responding to strong emotions from a patient or family member, these moments can be emotionally charged for everyone involved. While there’s no script that makes these interactions easy, mindfulness can help ease the pressure by building presence, trust, and connection.

It’s a common misperception that mindfulness means tuning out or staying neutral. Instead, it’s about being fully present, grounded, and responsive. It’s a practice physicians can build and draw on to stay centered in the middle of hard conversations.

She was 45, a busy professional with a complicated marriage, and no time to waste. She came in thinking she just needed something for a stubborn cough. That heart murmur her new internist was worried about? It had always been there, it was nothing, and she was expecting me, the cardiologist, to send her on her way. Instead, I had to tell her she had severe valve disease and needed open-heart surgery without delay.

 

My patient was furious. Disbelief turned into anger. "There’s no way that’s right," she said, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, face reddening. "You’re wrong!"

 

What helped me navigate her raw emotion wasn’t a script or checklist. Nor was it a guideline. It was a breath. A pause. The choice to stay grounded and present rather than defensive or rushed. I knew I had a full morning of patients ahead of me, but I also understood that so much was riding on our interaction. I would have to stay with her, and with the discomfort, until we reached the other side.

 

Mindfulness, a practice that has sustained me for many years, gave me the space to hear her anger without absorbing it, and to keep the conversation going without shutting her down.

 

If you’re a physician, tough conversations like these are part of your job, no matter what your specialty may be. Whether it’s delivering a serious diagnosis, describing a complex surgery, or responding to strong emotions from a patient or family member, these moments and more can be emotionally charged for everyone involved. While there’s no script that makes these interactions easy, mindfulness can help ease the pressure by building presence, trust, and connection.

 

It’s a common misperception that mindfulness means tuning out or staying neutral. Instead, it’s about being fully present, firmly grounded, and authentically responsive. This matters when you’re engaging with others in any meaningful context, but it’s especially important when the stakes are high. It’s a practice physicians can build and draw on to stay centered in the middle of hard conversations.

 
Mindfulness in healthcare communication
 

What Mindfulness Looks Like in Healthcare

Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of mindfulness in healthcare, teaches that mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment. In practice, that means bringing your full attention to the patient in front of you. It means noticing what’s happening, both around you and inside you, without rushing to fix, judge, or flee.

 

It’s not always easy. But it can be learned, practiced, and strengthened over time.

 

 How Mindfulness Helps in Hard Conversations

The way you approach difficult conversations can have a tremendous impact on your patient and their loved ones. Whether you realize it or not, your words and the manner in which they are delivered are likely to reverberate for days, weeks, or even longer.

 

Your communication style can impact the clinical outcome, and it may carry significant consequences for you as well. Trust in your care, openness to your recommendations, and follow-through are all connected to the way that you communicate. So is the probability of pursuing a lawsuit if things don’t turn out well, even if you’ve done nothing wrong.

 

Depending on your personal approach and past experience, it might be tempting to be blunt, evasive, or even overly deferential when dealing with uncomfortable situations. Mindfulness allows access to a different kind of presence that’s steady, clear, and connected. Here’s how it makes a difference:

 

Regulates your emotions

When you’re grounded, you’re less likely to be swept up in your own anxiety or frustration. Instead, you’ll be better able to hold space for others, which can defuse a charged situation.

 

Builds empathy

Patients can feel when you’re truly present. Mindfulness helps you hear what they’re saying, notice what’s unsaid, and respond with genuine care.

 

Strengthens communication

Mindful listening reduces assumptions. It helps you stay with what the other person is actually saying, even when it’s uncomfortable, rather than rushing ahead to your own response.

 

Mindful Strategies You Can Use Right Now

 

Here are a few ways to bring mindfulness into your next challenging conversation:

 

🌻Pause and center

Take a deep breath before you walk into the room. Even 10 seconds of awareness can shift your mindset. Notice what you’re feeling and choose to show up with presence.

 

🌻Listen with your full attention

Don’t be tempted to multitask. Turn away from the computer, put down the paperwork. Listen for tone and emotion, notice body language and facial expression, and stay open to anything else that creates context beyond the words that are spoken.

 

🌻Wait before responding

A brief pause after someone speaks gives you time to take in their words and choose your response. This is especially important when the discussion is charged. Taking a beat instead of reacting will save you from responding in a way that you might later regret.

 

🌻Reflect back

Summarize, paraphrase or repeat what you heard in your own words. It helps you to clarify, avoiding misc0mmunication, and it lets the other person know they’ve been heard.

 

🌻Project calm

Your tone and posture set the emotional tone of the room. Calm, open body language creates safety, even when the news is hard to hear. When you remain centered and clear-headed, you help to keep the emotional temperature down.

 

🌻Make space for questions

Let your patient process and speak. Inviting questions builds trust. While it might extend the visit slightly, taking a few extra minutes now can prevent misunderstandings and save time and frustration down the line. Craft your replies with honesty and compassion. You don’t need to have all the answers in the moment. Instead, be fully there, authentic and honest. 

 

The Bottom Line

Mindfulness won’t take the difficulty out of hard conversations, but it can bring a sense of humanity into the room. When you slow down, stay present, and truly notice what’s unfolding, you create space for connection, trust, and clarity, even in the most charged moments. It’s a practice that supports your patients, but it also honors you.


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Meditation, Time Management, Mindfulness Sarah Samaan Meditation, Time Management, Mindfulness Sarah Samaan

The Power of the Pause: Creating Engagement and Presence

What if you took the concept of taking a timeout pause out of the OR or procedure lab and into the other demanding parts of your day? Taking a moment to come up for air between office visits, meetings, or complex patient care could help to clear your mind and reset your focus. But very few of us actually do this.

Research from Microsoft's Human Factors Lab supports the idea that taking a personal pause can not only help you to reset but may even improve your engagement with your next patient or procedure. In this article, I’ll show you how you can work brief moments of mindfulness into your day, without slowing you down.

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in November 2023.

If you’re a surgeon or proceduralist, you already know the power of a timeout. That intentional pause before a procedure—where the entire team stops to confirm the plan, clarify roles, and ensure nothing has been missed—is more than a safety checklist. It’s a brief, structured moment of presence.

 

What if you took the concept of taking a pause out of the OR or the lab and into the other demanding parts of your day? Taking a moment to come up for air between office visits, meetings, or complex patient care could help to clear your mind and reset your focus. But my guess is that very few of us actually do this.

 

Backed by Data: The Power of a Brief Reset

 

Research from Microsoft's Human Factors Lab supports the idea that taking a personal pause can not only help you to reset but may even improve your engagement with your next patient or procedure.

 

Since this was Microsoft, the study looked at the way people engaged in meetings. The 14 subjects were tasked with wearing an EEG while participating in video meetings. Each meeting lasted 30 minutes. On one day, they took part in four back-to-back meetings, without a break. On the other, each meeting was followed by a 10-minute pause. Instead of simply checking their phones, the participants meditated with the Headspace app.

 
Physician taking a mindful pause at work.
 

The results were striking: analysis of brain wave activity revealed that even a short meditation pause led to increased engagement in the meeting that followed.

 

Conversely, with no pause, there was EEG evidence of greater stress during the next meeting.

 

We often equate productivity with hours slogged and logged. But this study—and others like it—suggest that sustained engagement may be a more meaningful, and healthier, metric.

 

The business world may embrace concepts like mindful pauses, but applying them in healthcare can be more challenging. Between the unending inbox, your dwindling support staff, and the push to do just one more thing, the pace can feel relentless.

 

But that’s exactly why building in brief, intentional moments of stillness—even just a breath between tasks—can be so powerful. These moments give you a chance to regather and reharness your energy and your focus.

 
 

Practical Strategies for Pressing Pause

 

How can you begin to practice taking a pause? It’s not always practical to take a 10-minute break for meditation in the middle of a busy day. But even a few mindful moments can help. Here are a few practical tips that can help you to create a little breathing space for yourself and to be more present for your patients:

 

Breathe Mindfully

Take a few deep, intentional breaths before going in to see a difficult or complex patient. Focus on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body. This simple act can help anchor your awareness to the present moment.

 

Body Scan

Conduct a quick body scan to release tension. Start from the top of your head and gradually move down to your toes, paying attention to any areas of tightness or discomfort. Allow these areas to relax, even if it’s just a little.

 

Mindful Observation

Take a moment to observe your surroundings without judgment or reactivity. Notice the colors, textures, and sounds in your environment. This brief shift in attention can provide a mental break and promote a sense of calm.

 

Name What You’re Feeling

 

Before moving on to the next patient or task, pause to mentally name what you’re feeling. That could be anything. Perhaps it’s overwhelmed, focused, frustrated, or calm. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s positive, negative, or neutral. This brief check-in helps increase your emotional awareness and gives you a chance to reset before shifting gears.

 

Feel Your Feet

 

As you’re walking down the hall or in from the parking lot, take a moment to bring your awareness to the sensation of your feet on the ground. Feel the pressure and the contact as your shoes connect with the floor. This small act of grounding can quickly bring you back to the present.

 

Set an Intention

 

Before a meeting or procedure, pause for a few seconds and mentally set an intention. Perhaps it’s “Stay focused,” “Listen with awareness,” or “Lead with presence.” A clear intention can shape how you show up, even in high-pressure moments.

 

Hand Over Heart

 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or scattered, place your hand over your heart and take a few deep breaths. This simple gesture engages your parasympathetic nervous system and can create a sense of grounding and self-compassion.

 

From Personal Practice to System Shift

 

Taking a mindful pause is not just a momentary escape from a hectic schedule. By taking a few moments of stillness to reset, you access a powerful way to recharge your energy, sharpen your focus, and deepen your connection with the people you care for. Over time, these brief pauses become an investment in your well-being and in the quality of your presence.

 

It’s time for healthcare organizations to embrace what companies like Microsoft have already realized: sustainable performance requires space to pause. These moments can’t just be the responsibility of the individual—they must be supported by the system. When organizations stop trying to fill every second and instead allow time for reflection and reset, they empower physicians to stay engaged, energized, and able to deliver their best care.


If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary coaching discovery session, click the button below.

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