Onehealthpro

STRESS AND VOLUNTEER WORK

After teaching a class on Friday night from 6:00-10:00 p.m., then teaching on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., when my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, I was sorry I had agreed to do some volunteer work.  I had given my word so I dressed and drove to the event.  I rediscovered the joy of volunteering as I helped serve food to motorcycle riders who were providing free rides to children with brain tumors.  The kids were loving it and so were the volunteers who were able to make a small contribution to the quality of life experienced by these children.  It's one thing to complain about the way things are.  (Trust me, I've been a pro at that!)  But the way to peace and joy is to do something about the way things are...even when you're tired and even when you don't feel like it.  You could make a case that the world didn't change much as a result this group of volunteers banding together to make a difference, but try telling that to the young boy, grinning from ear to ear as he rode in the side car of a motorcycle. 

STRESS AND THE POWER OF THOUGHTS

Here's a follow up to yesterday's posting.  Even if you're one of the health care professionals considering leaving their career, select one day and think about the aspects of your job you do enjoy.  It's helpful to identify that list whether you stay or go.  It won't be possible to find the best place to use your skills and talents until you define the skills and talents you enjoy using.  Give it a try and let me know what you discover.   

JOB SATISFACTION AND STRESS

Don't forget your mission!  Hanging on to your highest ideals is one way to reduce stress!  When we give up, get cynical and decide our professional dreams cannot be accomplished, we give in to negative thinking.  Remembering our dreams can motivate us to take baby steps, chasing our goals one incremental step at a time.  That's rewarding and motivating.  Thinking about all the reasons we can't accomplish the great plans we once had saps job satisfaction faster than a jet aircraft departing a runway.  Thoughts are powerful.  How are you using yours?          

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

"Everyone gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense."  Gertrude Stein

You said it, Gertrude!  Human beings need time to process, analyze and assess the usefulness of data.  When information is thrown at us constantly, we lose our ability to recognize the difference between important, urgent and useless.  It is essential that we carve out time to escape the barrage of data.  Are you taking time for lunch?  Are you finding 10-15 minute intervals throughout your workday to slow down and find calm within?  I know it's challenging to accomplish these tasks.  And my response is the physical and mental toll we pay when we fail to accomplish them is even more challenging.  When you get the feeling your common sense is slipping away, walk away.  Take a break.  Your thinking skills will be twice as effective when you return.

STRESSED OUT

Are you unconscious?  You could be even if you're up and about, eyes wide open and peforming tasks.  Rushing through activities without focusing on the moment is going through life in an unconscious manner.  In order to experience more peace and calm throughout the day try this:  Be present in the moment.  Worry about what could go wrong will not prevent bad things from happening.  Lamenting the past does nothing to change it.  Right now is all you have, use it wisely.  The poet Horace advised:  "Seize the day, put no trust in tomorrow."

TECHNOLOGY AND STRESS

Wired, wireless, 24/7/365, fax it, email it, all while chattering on the phone.  Human beings were not meant to be plugged in every waking minute.  Technology is allowing us to be more productive, but what's happening to human beings in the process?  Are we becoming working robots, unable to enjoy life? 

Yesterday while taking a walk, I encountered a young mother pushing her baby in a stroller.  She was chatting on her cell phone, racing down the sidewalk, oblivious to the soft murmuring of her child, the beauty of flowers blooming after a rain and of course when we passed, she didn't make eye contact with me.  There was no opportunity for any form of human greeting, not even a smile.  Multitasking diminished her life and mine too.      

Cell phones are a remarkable tool for staying in touch and in emergencies and that's a good thing.  This is my observation:  The conversations I overhear from cell phone users in the bank, in the grocery store, walking in my neighborhood, shopping at the mall and in meetings are not emergencies.  I think people are technologically connected when it isn't necessary because they are fearful of meeting themselves in quiet solititude.  The solution to this challenge:  Create a technology free zone.  Time every day in which you disconnect from technology is essential for your mental and physical health.            

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

As we rush about our day, it is important to pause and identify the throughts that are driving our actions.  Are you focused on hurrying so you can get to the next task or patient?  Most professionals answer yes to that question.  When our thoughts are centered on rushing, we are driven from task to task, patient to patient without satisfying our human and professional need to recognize that we are doing our best in every moment.  I offer you the invitation to change your thoughts.  Instead of focusing on the enormity of future tasks, think about the moment you are in and congratulate youself for giving your best in that moment.  You can use your thoughts to reduce your stress.  Try it for a day and experience the difference. 

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Did you know clutter can be a stress producer?  Besides wasting your time as you poke through the stacks of stuff searching for a needed item, clutter increases your stress by sending the message:  My life is out of control.  Make it a point to tame the clutter tiger by deciding 1) not to feed the wild animal and 2) devoting half an hour daily to taming the beast.  Cut off the animal's food supply.  If you use something, put it away.  If there is a cluttered area in your workplace or home, devote 30 minutes daily to eliminating the mess.  File it, find a place for it or throw it out.  You'll be amazed by the progress that occurs within a week.  As the clutter declines, so will your stress.