Go Back to Basics
MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
I’m pooped. You?
Maybe it’s from staying up late scrolling through videos of cats clinging to ceiling fans. Maybe it’s from the chocolate I mindlessly ate before bedtime. Maybe it’s from having to deliver difficult news to a patient. Maybe it’s from worrying about my kids—or the unrelenting stress of the pandemic. Maybe it’s all of it tied in bow.
Perhaps like you, sometimes I sideline my basic needs, the same basic stuff I recommend to my patients—like rest, relaxation, and time away from Twitter and TV news. The privilege of caring for other people is the greatest gift I could ever imagine. It fulfills and inspires me. It propels me forward. But it requires a pit stop for gas every now and then.
I’m not immune to the same weariness we’re all feeling right now.
I sometimes lie awake at night. I sometimes well up with tears out of the blue. I sometimes howl with laughter 5 minutes after a good cry. I sometimes forget where my car is parked, why I walked into a room, what day it is. On Monday night I scurried out of my office building and called out to the custodial staff: “Have a great weekend!”
Today I'm pooped but happy. Though I sometimes question what the hell I’m doing as a mother, wife, daughter, and friend, especially as the days turn into weeks into months...and into years. (Here’s my gang on October 22, 2012, and it feels like yesterday.)
So today, on my 48th birthday, I’m reminded of two things:
It’s okay to sometimes not be okay, and
It’s time to go back to basics.
To remind you and me both, here’s my acronym for optimizing our basic physical and mental health: STEM. This time I’m taking notes!
S = sleep
It’s essential for our health and wellbeing. It helps our immune system, mood, stress levels, and cognition (to name a few). Most human beings need 7-8 hours of restful sleep. At bedtime, try stretching, meditating, deep breathing, and/or listening to calm music. And for crying out loud (moi!), get off the screens for at least an hour before lights out! I’m starting tonight with LeBron James’ meditation stories on the Calm app. Wish me luck as my mind wanders to what I’m missing on Twitter.
T = talk about stress, mood, and how you feel
Talk to your partner, a trusted friend, your dog, or whomever will listen. Reach out to a therapist. Or just write it down. It’s essential to catalog, sort, and address our thoughts and feelings. This is the perfect moment to ask for help with our mental health—not because we’re crazy, but because we are human. I wouldn’t be able to do my job, parent my children, and have any sense of humor whatsoever without having reached out for professional help along the way!
E = eating
Food is fuel, and good nutrition is an essential part of our health. But forgive yourself if you ate cookies for breakfast; just do your best at lunch. This is not the time to diet, fast, “cleanse,” or experiment with extreme eating. When we skip meals, diet, and restrict certain food groups when not medically necessary, we only fire up our stress hormones. Just try to get three decent meals a day. Be nice to yourself. It’s not the time to try to be a runway model. (Is it ever?)
M = movement
It doesn’t have to be fancy, sexy, or even pretty, but do try to move your body every day—ideally outside in nature. Exercise calms our adrenaline, helps us sleep, improves cognition, and generally keeps our bodies and minds healthy. I notice that on the days I walk outdoors, I am calmer, happier, and more likely to remember where I put my car keys.
Like you, I am a work in progress. Among other things, I’m learning to be STILL…to rest. “Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak” (or so I am told).
I’m mostly grateful to be alive, hopeful for the future, and humbled by your support of my shot-out-of-a-cannon public presence.
Thank you for this gift!
Let's get back to basics together. Let's rest, restore, and take care of ourselves and each other.
I'll see you next week. Until then, be well.