Oncologist heal thyself: hallmarks of happiness.

It is 18h30 on a Friday; clinic ran late again. I promised the kids I would pick them up an hour ago. We are supposed to be going out for a celebratory dinner tonight with friends. I will be late, again. My pager keeps buzzing. A colleague wants me to “squeeze” a new patient into my already overbooked next clinic. I still have to go to the inpatient unit to talk to a dying patient and her young children. No one is going to be happy today—not the patient, not my spouse, not my kids, and certainly not me. I wonder: Is this the life I really want? As health care professionals, we have chosen a vocation dedicated to helping people enhance both the quality and the quantity of their lives. However, to do that, we must also take care of our most precious—and often underappreciated—resource, ourselves. If we do not look after ourselves, how can we provide the best possible care for anyone else? Hanahan and Weinberg’s “Hallmarks of cancer”1,2 helped to simplify and define the complexities of neoplastic disease. Is it possible to organize and optimize our lives in a similar fashion? Could a “hallmarks of happiness” provide a better framework on which to arrange all the necessities of a fulfilling, or better yet, flourishing, life? In this commentary, we propose that several core areas in life should be of equal importance to know, understand, and practice for anyone involved in cancer care. It is our sincerest hope that, by reflecting on each hallmark, readers will be able to establish better habits to optimize their own lives, while continuing to ensure nurturing, healthy relationships with family and friends, and to provide excellent clinical care. Table i lists some practical tips for achieving those goals.