- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." - Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic. Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's Web sites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the Web site) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
Latest entries
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Stress blog
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July 11, 2009
Blog: Bad days are good times to practice stress busting
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Yesterday was not a good day. As so often happens, my best laid plans went astray. I was tangled in thorny administrative issues while trying to deal with difficult clinical challenges. A research proposal was shredded by a committee. Finally, some scheduling goofs occurred and colleagues were inconvenienced. We all have days like this when — despite our best planning — the wheels come off.
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Reflecting on the day, I was reminded of a couple of key points:
- How we react is our choice. We are humans and sometimes things just do not go the way we hope. However, if we dwell on the negatives and focus on the mix-ups, we will lose energy and find it difficult to get back on task.
- We need support from others. When I arrived home that evening, I shared my frustrations with my beloved wife and running partner Peggy.
- Life is a long-distance event. You have to be fit to go the distance. The next morning I completed my workout: stretching, calisthenics and free weights. This routine takes no more than 35 minutes and is absolutely life-sustaining and rejuvenating, as is my usual eight-mile run.
In the end, did the problems and the frustrations of the day disappear? Of course they didn't, but I had a clearer mind, renewed focus and more energy to go back into the arena and give it my all.
What other lessons can we learn from our bad days?
4 comments posted
October 7, 2009 5:24 a.m.
Being a doctor is a tough enough job and the medical profession is a noble one for most doctors. It is an eye opener to know that even professionals have their 'off days' inspite of much planning ahead. Like you said how we react is our choice. Why make mountains out of molehills and exaggerate problems that have seemingly simple solutions? The best thing to do is to take your mind away completely for a while or talk to someone close about it. When you come back to dealing with it, it will not look as huge and daunting as it was earlier. Just like physical fitness that can only be achieved by practice, mental toughness can only be attained by facing adversities headlong and telling yourself that every problem has a solution. I hope the committee takes a relook at your proposal. Good luck Doc.
- Priyadarshini
July 16, 2009 1:24 p.m.
You can enjoy the good days to the fullest, hoping for more of those good days than the bad ones.
- carol
July 15, 2009 4:08 p.m.
Take a deep breath and say, "This, too, shall pass." Make note of your "good" days and count your blessings. Accept that life is not fair, and you are not alone. Tomorrow is another day. Relax and smile. That's life.
- Roberta S.
July 14, 2009 4:27 p.m.
If there are bad days, there also will be good ones. I have had some stressful days recently. On Sunday I took a whole day just to think. I know that most people cannot do this; however, I identified some issues that I need to address. Too often I go along with the plans of others. I can no longer do this unless there is no choice. I have also learned through experience that you cannot solve the problems of others especially if they are serious emotional ones. I tried to help a friend who had a family problem. Finally I realized that she needed help and recommended professional advice. When she became involved again with that person, who had substance abuse problems, I told her that I did not want to be involved. It had a cooling effect on our relationship, but it was the right choice for me. I think that you have to proetect you own mental health. So saying NO!!! may be difficult it may be necessary. Finally, Dr. Creagan find out why your research project was denied. Perhaps the committee was also having a 'bad' day. Submit it again. Or perhaps you should just leave it for now. You sound very busy. It is summer; relax, run and focus on looking after your patients. Given your practice, you know how quickly life can be taken away. We all should be glad to be alive and it is not a luxury to make sure that we enjoy life to the extent we can and take care of ourselves.
- Barbara M
4 comments posted