“Every job has its stresses, and every job has its perks”

Now as a practice owner – having taken over as a partner of Stephen Evans Optometrists when my parents retired in 2022 – it’s exactly the same. There are great parts of practice ownership, such as the freedom to steer the practice in the direction that you want to, but with that also comes concerns, difficulties, and challenges.

There are the day-to-day challenges that come with staffing and management, as well as dealing with situations that are unplanned and unexpected – sickness and patient complications, for example. It is the unplanned and unexpected situations that normally present the challenges, and you have to learn to navigate and resolve them, and leave them at the practice door when you lock up in the evening.

We’re all guilty of taking our challenges home with us from time to time; dwelling on things for longer than we need to or should do”

Leaving challenges in practice

Two years into practice ownership I have learned that when navigating through unplanned challenges to remember that it’s never personal. It’s never a test of your character personally, and normally it’s not a criticism of the practice or of our team. Sometimes there are issues that just crop up.

Taking a practical approach to tackling the challenges at hand when they arise allows you to look at situations and break them down methodically. It also allows you to look at a situation objectively in order to correct it, and helps you rectify it with a good outcome and solution.

We’re all guilty of taking our challenges home with us from time to time; dwelling on things for longer than we need to or should do. Therefore, having a way of dealing with situations at work effectively, paired with a way of being able to decompartmentalise and switch off when you arrive home, is key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance and protecting your wellbeing.

While it’s important to have an approach to dealing with work-based challenges and managing them, it’s also just as important to have a way of switching off from them when you get home – that’s key.

As a practice owner, thankfully most days are fairly plain-sailing and smooth. But when I need a distraction during the day to reset, I know I can grab some fresh air and walk around the block. Although most situations don’t require that, I know that the distraction and method is there if I should need it.

Henry Evans

Henry Evans

Henry Evans

Rugby and reward

There are a number of methods and activities that people can utilise to help them maintain their wellbeing after a tough day. Everyone’s different. Personally, I have always found any form of sport and exercise a really good way to switch off. This includes watching sport as well.

Sometimes, after a challenging day, it’s very easy to go home and neglect the things you know work for you. You are tired, you sit down, and you just want to chill – but for me, I have learnt that that can cause me to hang on to the challenges or stresses for a bit longer.

Speaking to family and friends, going for a walk, or having a coffee with my fiancé all help change the conversation and my mindset, but sport for me is my big reset. Doing a bit of exercise or sport to refresh, reset and move on from there – I have learnt this works for me. It’s hard to describe how it makes me feel or why it works, but it does.

Team sports are a big help for me – being able to talk and interact with people, not about the stress, often about random nothingness, helps.

I have found that with sport, even if it is a wet, cold, rainy winter day, I always come back feeling better. Maybe tired too, but refreshed.

Taking part in a team sport, such as rugby, holds me accountable, as does booking a class where there is a commitment – it’s easy if you are going to the gym on your own for it to fall to the wayside. For me, as a member of a team, once I say yes, I commit, and it keeps me on track. I never come back from a rugby session wishing I hadn’t gone.

Through the winter, there are not as many training sessions or matches, so I take part in other activities to support my wellbeing. Then, through spring and summer it builds with games and tournaments.

I work these commitments into my day-to-day throughout the year. I try to go to the gym in the morning twice a week and while I’m not a morning person, I find that morning exercise is a good way to shake off the cobwebs and set you up for the day. I sometimes cycle a couple of miles to work also.

have found that with sport, even if it is a wet, cold, rainy winter day, I always come back feeling better. Maybe tired too, but refreshed

These activities give me the chance to reset any personal and professional stresses and niggles. And even if I haven’t been able to resolve a challenge at work that day, these activities allow me to step away, forget and come back to it with fresh eyes.

If it is something that is ongoing, you still need to deal with sometimes having that break. Something, for example, might have got quite personal or you’ve taken it quite personally, and then playing a bit of sport or getting a bit of exercise gives me space and I can come back and look at it from a fresh angle.

My advice to fellow practitioners is to find your reset. Try different things to find out what works for you – what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another.

For me, it’s anything sports-related or a challenge such as a tournament to work towards. But it could be anything from a walk to cooking, knitting or reading. Whatever it may be, it’s important to find your reset and the bit of mindfulness in your day.

About the author

Henry Evans qualified as a dispensing optician in 2015. He became a practice partner at Stephen Evans Optometrists, a Hakim Group independent practice, in 2022.