• image.alt
  • With Mayo Clinic oncologist

    Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

    read biography

Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer
  • Stress blog

  • Dec. 12, 2009

    Tidings of stress and frustration

    By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

5 comments posted

Most of us know what we need to do to preserve our health, wellness and serenity. We know that we must take care of ourselves. We know that we need adequate rest and nutrition. We know that we need to manage our time and stress. Yet despite this knowledge, we often stumble and lose our way, as I did recently.

Need more help?

If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
    1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Go to the nearest hospital or emergency room
  • Call your physician, health provider or clergy
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness
    www.nami.org
    1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

Before departing on a professional trip for several days, my wife and I decided that, for once, we would send out holiday cards before the end of December. We poured through several hundred photographs and selected a dozen to use for our cards. I created a folder on the desktop of my computer and put the pictures in it. This isn't rocket science you're thinking, but let me tell you the rest of the story.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang for a delivery. It was an important package that required photo identification and signing multiple forms. It was 15 minutes before I went back to the computer. And then the phone rang. It was a telemarketer asking if I would participate in a quick survey. I respectfully declined, but there went another five minutes. I hastily completed the work on the photos and hurried off to prepare for the trip.

Upon returning, I couldn't remember how I'd labeled the folder. Nor could I remember where I'd put it — was it on one of the three laptops or one of several jump drives. After much time and irritation, I was able to find the folder and finish the cards. What should've taken a stress-free and pleasant 25 minutes evolved into 90 minutes of frustration that probably eroded the lining of my stomach and raised my blood pressure.

Although I often warn others about the pitfalls of multitasking and the tyranny of the urgent, I didn't heed my own advice. It was a good reminder that if we don't eliminate distractions and focus on the task at hand, even a simple job can come to feel like a burden.

5 comments posted

blog index
MY01102 Dec. 12, 2009

© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger