A Light Perspective: A Self Confessed Workaholic

Feeling stressed? Burnt out? I know the feeling. Health professionals like dietitians juggle responsibilities, whilst promoting evidence based practice. We nurture a never ending expansive list of skills in barely enough hours of the day. Yet we keep going, and going; and do our best to retain the picture of health.

They say there's a story behind every book and there's definitely a story behind every dietitian. A dietitian can be based in a clinical hospital, run a business, work in the food or fitness industry or as a lecturer at a university. Just like Cinderella, as the clock strikes a certain hour, some of us transform into bloggers, to bring to you the very latest updates in nutrition.

It's been a little while since I've published a blog post, so I thought that it was only fair that you knew what I have been up to. I am passionate about evidence based practice, so it should come as no surprise to you that I also work in the area of research. I have currently completed a research study in vitamin A and am in the process of writing up the findings of this study. As soon as I publish these results, I will share the study findings with you.

My daily routine therefore comprises of clinical work in a children's hospital, where I will either review children's growth and nutritional requirements, or work on my research project. I may have private clients to see later in the day or teaching material to prepare for the multidisciplinary team and patients.

For example, during the past week, I have been slaving away on a power point to update the renal team on vitamin A. After all, clean slides with messages in bullet points or via images help convey key messages clearly. But really, the biggest influences for a powerful and successful presentation are the content itself and how well you have revised your notes, don't you think?

The role of the dietitian is not as straight forward as it appears. I rarely work the typical 9-5 either. Behind the scenes I can recall the countless times when I have comforted mums when they first learn about their child's diagnosis. I may even lend a caring ear when she simply needs to vent or talk about her impossible non-compliant teenager. I chat to food companies for further details on food ingredients or lately have been studying metabolic disorders very closely.

When I am not bordering on 'workaholism', I enjoy running or spending time with friends. Here are photos below from my Friday girly night out. These nights out in London really help melt away any stress that may have accumulated over the week.

This was a delicious strawberry cocktail that was topped with champagne.