The Lies Doctors Tell Themselves
“I’m ok” is not ok. In medicine, strength is often a mask — and silence isolates us. Healing begins when we ask for help. We are not our performance or perfection; we are human. Let’s name the struggle, end the myth of invulnerability, and make it safe to be seen and rescued.
“I’m ok” is not ok. It’s a myth — and we heal by asking for help.
Imagine two people, stranded on different islands.
One writes HELP in the sand.
The other — a doctor — writes I’M OK.
A rescue plane flies overhead.
Guess who gets saved?
This image is a metaphor.
It speaks to something deeper than burnout.
It speaks to identity.
We’re trained to be strong.
Self-sufficient. Unshakeable.
So when something breaks — a complication, a death, a mistake —
we suffer in silence.
Because asking for help feels like admitting we’re not who we said we were.
But here’s the truth:
We are not the mask.
We are not the performance.
We are not the perfect professional.
We are human.
And if your identity depends on never needing help,
you’ll never be able to heal.
This is the real crisis in medicine —
not just burnout,
but being marooned inside an identity that won’t allow rescue.
Let’s name it.
Let’s talk about it.
Let’s stop pretending we’re okay when we’re not.
You’re not alone on that island.
Let’s make it safe to ask for help — and be human again.
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