October is Mental Health Month, which provides a perfect opportunity to start a conversation about mental health and wellbeing. 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness this year. And sadly, we know that 60% of people with a mental illness will not seek help.

Are you obsessed with your work? Most dental practitioners love the work that they do and feel extremely passionate about helping their patients improve their oral health. When work aligns with our values we can achieve a state of balance that boosts our positive emotions and improves our wellbeing. However, sometimes we become obsessed to the point that we believe that what we do is so important that it takes over our life, creating anxiety and tension that can negatively impact our wellbeing.

Burnout is being increasingly talked about across the community, and particularly in the health professions. Research shows that 1 in 4 dental practitioners have symptoms consistent with burnout. It’s common to hear people now talking about how they have burned out or are feeling burnt out. So we need understand what burnout is, and what it is not.