Bouncing back from adversity: Discovering your new normal
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-blog/MY01746
- 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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April 27, 2011
Bouncing back from adversity: Discovering your new normal
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
I really appreciate when readers share their incredible stories of heroism, perseverance, tenacity and especially resilience. It's amazing the ways people find to deal with tragedies and disappointments.
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If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.
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Researchers tell us that despite soul-shredding and punishing setbacks, most people eventually achieve a "new normal" where they again feel joy and happiness, and even look forward to the future. You may need someone else to point it out to you, though. Let me explain.
A few days ago while walking to the parking ramp after a difficult day I struck up a conversation with a beloved, iconic leader of my organization. For 15 years, this woman was a major player in the national health care scene. When her time in office ended, she shifted to a less demanding and less public role.
After she stepped out of the limelight, she said that a number of coworkers stopped her to say that she'd never looked better. They said her smile and the spring in her step had returned. She seemed to be enjoying life once again. Amazingly, this all came as a surprise to my colleague. She didn't know how weighed down she'd been until the burden of leadership was lifted from her.
So, at least one message is clear. You need at least one person to hold up a mirror to tell you how you're doing in an honest and compassionate way. I recall a mayor of New York City who would walk through the neighborhoods of that bustling metropolis and ask people, "So how am I doing? How do I look?" The answers to those questions provided a solid grounding for him.
Who serves that role for you? What would they say to you right now?
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