- 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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May 27, 2011
Common causes of work stress
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Another colleague and I recently helped facilitate a workshop on how to deal with stress. It was a group of 13 professionals, so we had ample time for reflection and discussion. Participants shared some of the same concerns that I see popping up in blog comments:
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- How do you deal with increasing expectations in an environment of decreasing resources?
- How do you deal with bullies, not only at school but also in the workplace?
- How do you give your job your all and still have something left?
Here's some of what we talked about:
- It's up to you to determine what's crucial for your health and well-being, and how to balance that with responsibilities that are truly "mission-critical." For example, I recently agreed to participate in an early morning meeting I didn't have much interest in it. I had to get up especially early and consequently by the end of the day, I felt like I had the IQ of a zucchini because of fatigue. Not the best use of my time and energy.
- You don't have to be a perfectionist in everything you do. For example, if I spend 10 hours to prepare a slide presentation when 8 hours would've done, I've lost two hours. That time won't be noticed by my audience, but it might've been spent on another task or responsibility.
- You don't have to allow yourself to be "bullied" by leaders in your organization. One woman shared how she addressed the problem privately over a cup of coffee and came away feeling empowered. She acknowledged that the situation will never be ideal, but she feels that by speaking up she's at least ensured that it won't be so unsettling.
In the end, we all agreed that you have to find a way to take care of yourself physically and mentally, despite the pressures of the workforce. If you let your health deteriorate, your work performance likely will be affected and, thus, your job security.
4 comments posted
August 27, 2012 4:00 p.m.
i totally agree with this and having a stressful job makes me even weaker. causes of stress and we can't even avoid having stress every day
- rodney
June 9, 2011 11:33 p.m.
My job is difficult and demanding, but I am very good at it. The source of my workplace stress is realizing the company is "retiring" everyone as they turn 64. Even 20+ year employees just disappear with no comment from anyone. I turn 64 in September, but cannot afford to retire. In this economny it will not be possible to replace my incomne unless I drive well over an hour to a much larger city. Even then my age will work against me and some employers refuse to even interview someone who has been laid off (see AARP Bulletin this month). Employers, if they are hiring, are hiring youngsters. This situation is making me physically sick. I am a single lady, volunteer in the community, am very responsible. In 18 years I have never made a late house payment. If I can't sell my house I will lose it....what's a person to do?
- Kay
June 1, 2011 6:53 p.m.
Yes, I can attest to shoulder & neck pain as a result of stress. I finally went to a physical therapist this month & am gaining relief. Fine tuning my posture & "lightly" engaging back muscles is also helping.
- Evie
June 1, 2011 4:23 a.m.
As a mental health service provider in the UK we are getting asked more and more to deliver mental health awareness in the workplace, particularly around stress and actively promote the Mindful Employer initiative. Increasingly also, we notice a link between stress at work and back and shoulder pain. For back pain relief we recommend regular stretching and for workers to get up from their desks, every hour as a minimum, not only for health and safety (eye strain at monitors) but also to stretch limbs and de-stress their body physically and mentally.
- Graham
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4 comments posted