Ben Bravery's 'unusual path' to medicine and what he finds 'relaxing and restorative'
Doctor and author, Ben Bravery was diagnosed with cancer in his late twenties. (Supplied: Ben Bravery)
Ben Bravery took an "unusual path" to medicine.
Currently a junior doctor in the public hospital system, Ben is completing specialty training in psychiatry, but before this he was a zoologist.
He was 28 years old working with researchers in China, running his own business when he developed symptoms of bowel cancer.
Diagnosed back in Australia, Ben then went through chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.
"It was about 18 months altogether of treatment in the hospital system."
Ben was encouraged to get back to normal life after treatment, but the experience had changed him. He decided to become a doctor "to give back to the system that saved me, but also to tweak a few things".
Ben works Monday to Friday in a hospital, with some rostered night shifts and weekend work.
"The problem with medical training is it makes routine hard because it's disruptive and it can be hostile," he says.
Ben lives on Gadigal Land in Sydney and in 2022 he published a memoir, titled The Patient Doctor.
Unwind with… is a weekly column that explores the simple ways interesting people take care of themselves.
My morning routine looks like…
Ben Bravery and his son enjoy a warm drink at their local cafe most mornings. (Supplied: Ben Bravery)
My son wakes me up. He's four and we're still co-sleeping. He'll say, "Dad, is it wake up-time?" and I check my clock.
He's up at six or after five-thirty. I don't mind mornings, so that's works for me. We have a little fish pond in the garden that belongs to our building, so we go and feed the fish.
Then we go across the road to a cafe where we go most mornings. I'll have a flat white. He has a weak hot chocolate. We sit in the window, normally in the same two chairs and chat.
Then we head back home for breakfast, wake Mum up — if she's not already up — and settle in for some breakfast. Then both of us are getting ready for our jobs and then getting him ready for day care.
My favourite ways to unwind or relax…
I really enjoy spending time with my wife and son. I'm quite introverted and I find that restorative and relaxing.
Ben Bravery and his young son. (Supplied: Ben Bravery)
I enjoy cooking. I like getting into like a complicated recipe or cooking a few dishes at the same time.
I like jogging and riding my bike. So, I try and ride my bike to work as much as possible in the mornings. It's a nice ride through Darlinghurst [inner Sydney], along Anzac Avenue, past the universities to the hospital.
Tools that helped me during treatment…
I threw everything at cancer, and I actually developed some really good habits.
I joined a drumming circle. I had Reiki therapy. I used aromatherapy. I journalled quite a bit and I even engaged in musical therapy, during which I wrote a song about my experience with a professional.
Cancer can feel very lonely, so sometimes things needed to be social. I didn't always feel like being around people, but I knew that it was good for me.
When I decided to go to med school, I didn't rush back to those strategies, which is a shame.
Ben Bravery says spending time with his wife Sana and son is restorative. (Supplied: Ben Bravery)
I switch off online by…
I'm not always on call and I am a big believer of leaving my phone at home as much as possible on weekends. I take cash or a credit card if I need to pay for things.
I've become increasingly aware of the problems of mobile phone use and what it does to just basic everyday interactions between friends and strangers, and how it doesn't allow people to be where they are.
My wife has also started to leave her phone at home. Often, we'll go out and do things like we used to do in the '90s, like look up the bus timetable at the bus stop.
It's also really nice not to have that ping. I'm not thinking about the next thing, I'm not looking for something better, I'm not trying to 'optimise'.
My rituals for staying connected with friends and family…
My sister and her family also live in Sydney. She's got three kids. It can be really hard to find time, but we normally try and carve out time on a Sunday to meet up, normally for a roast dinner.
I like hosting friends. It's been hard to do during study and training, but I was able to do that again recently. I was just reminded of how nice it was to have someone over and prepare a meal for them and have it appreciated — not being in a busy restaurant, distracted by all those other forces and just have the space to connect and share.