Overworked and Stressed Out? Tips To Get Your Groove Back.

After re-evaluating his approach to health for himself and his patients, overworked doctor Richard Mayes reclaimed his joy. He tells Erin Fisher how

- Erin Fisher

When you’re burnt out, struggling to juggle work and family, and feeling like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to do a good enough job at anything, what’s the solution? Put on your best ’80s-themed get-up – mullet wig included – and take part in a dance flash mob at your local supermarket. When an ABC journalist just happens to be in the store, captures the whole thing on video and it goes viral, you don’t retreat to your office in embarrassment or pretend it wasn’t you – embrace it as an opportunity to spread the word about the importance of finding joy in a stressful world.

This is the true story of Dr Richard Mayes, an Australian GP who has turned his life, his work and his mental health around through dance and the power of human connection. But flash mobs in supermarkets aren’t the only thing he encourages – he has an inspiring vision for an entirely new system of healthcare.

In Richard’s early years as a GP – during his pre-dancing days – he was working himself into the ground, and his family life with a newborn baby was holding on by a thread. The harder things got, the harder he worked – treating as many patients as he could each day and always being on call.

It wasn’t until he attended a personal development course that he was able to take a step back and realise who he had become and who he really wanted to be – in his medical practice, at home and in the wider community.

“Sometimes, we have to hit rock bottom to remember who we are,” says Richard. He decided then that doing 15-minute medicine just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.