- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward 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 health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Nov. 3, 2010
Take charge to conquer your stress
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Almost every medical organization has a weekly lecture entitled, "Grand Rounds." Typically, this is a 45-minute lecture on some aspect of medicine or research. Last week, a fascinating colleague addressed the issue of stress.
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My colleagues explained that stress reflects the "perfect storm" of three factors:
- Limited resources. You don't have the strength or energy to get the job done. In other words, demand exceeds capacity.
- Lack of control. You have no say in how you get the job done.
- Absence of meaning or purpose. The novelist Tolstoy said that the quickest way to drive a man insane is to have him perform a job that has no purpose.
In his lecture, my colleague also shared some advice for dealing with stress. He emphasized the importance of taking charge. In other words, get rid of the victim mentality and put yourself in the driver's seat. This might be something as simple as watching your diet or getting a good night's sleep. Or it might be something far more complex, such as dealing with legal and financial matters, or dissolving a relationship that's become toxic.
These concepts can help you deal more effectively with stress. What else have you tried to conquer stress?
6 comments posted
February 7, 2011 4:37 p.m.
You're right that often there are very simple things we can do to lower our stress levels. There are others that take more time and effort, like dealing with the internal stress we have, such as unrealistic expectations, hurts from the past and negative attitudes. I give lots of ways to manage stress in my latest book, "All Stressed Up and Everywhere to Go: Solutions to De-Stressing Your Life and Recovering Your Sanity." I enjoyed reading all the other comments on here as well.
- Gaylyn
November 11, 2010 2:29 p.m.
The advice to get rid of the victim mentality is right on point. If we perceive all of our problems/challenges as arising externally, we may be prone to seek external solutions--but doing so frequently amounts to giving away our own internal power. If you put yourself in the driver's seat, you can chart your own course. The external is, by definition, simply beyond direct control. Giving up excuses and rationizations for inaction can be a helpful first step on the road toward using own's own power--not dissipating or giving it away.
- Alan
November 10, 2010 5:48 p.m.
I use a variety of stress techniques, from taking vacations, yoga and laughter, to meditation and completion, all featured in my new book Stress Express. Reading is also one of my favorites and it is said to reduce stress by 40%.
- Snowden
November 10, 2010 4:01 p.m.
For me, What I prefer to do is walk along the beach (which is nearby). I mentally take all of my problems and toss them on the water. I picture my problems going out with the tide. Even just walking and enjoying the sheer beauty of nature can be so relaxing and peaceful. Learn to appreciate what you have and treasure the moments with family or a friend. Most of all learn to smile and laugh. Life is too short to be wasted on negative thoughts.
- Claire
November 8, 2010 7:07 p.m.
Hi, Thanks for sharing on such an important subject that can help so many people out there. Being involved in customer service for the last ten years, I figured out that there some space or lets say a split of a second between the action happening outside and the reaction generated from inside your mind. That space/time in between the two is key to determine how you will react to a specific event. The more you practice being aware of that space/time factor, the better you get at preventing the situation from controlling you and your feeling. Brian http://powerfulpositiveattitude.blogspot.com/
- Brian
November 3, 2010 4:38 p.m.
Besides the usual deep breathing, exercising etc. I would add the following to the list: Develop a mindset where you concentrate on living in the present - the past has already happened and you can do nothing to change it, and the future is as they say "up in the air" - who knows the twist and turns your life will take and it won't make a bit of difference to stress over it. Another addition to the list would be to learn to accept your limitations - don't stress over what you can't control - what will happen will happen, and the best you can hope for is to work at dealing with what comes your way in whatever way you can - we only have so many gifts, use what you have and don't fret over what you don't have.
- Joe
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