Exercise your right to say no
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-blog/MY01816
- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
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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July 13, 2011
Exercise your right to say no
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Sometimes life just doesn't work the way it's supposed to. Relationships unravel. Hard work isn't always rewarded, and recognition doesn't always come. This is just the way life is. So what can you do? Start by recognizing that you have choices.
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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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Let me give you a specific example. I participated in a meeting with some wonderful colleagues about an important medical topic. We met over the lunch hour, which is never ideal, but it was the only time we could get together. We weren't able to resolve all of the issues, and a colleague suggested that we meet again early the next morning. Most members were agreeable to do so, but I wasn't since I work out each morning.
With some uneasiness, I explained that this time wouldn't work for me. Some of my colleagues reacted as if I were from another planet. Nevertheless, I felt comfortable with my decision, although there was a moment of uneasiness.
Sure it's hard to disappoint colleagues, but I made my choice and accepted the consequences. And you know the world didn't unravel simply because I didn't attend an early morning meeting.
So you see I don't just pontificate about the need to take care of yourself. I try to live it. What stories can you share of a time when you had to put yourself first?
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