Maine AAP President's Message - September, 2021 - Dr. Deborah Hagler
Posted on September 17, 2021
We are hardwired to hold onto the negative. From an evolutionary standpoint this feature of the human brain has important implications for survival in a creature without many special abilities. Remembering environmental threats enabled avoidance and improved the chances of survival. In reality we are living through a time of extreme hardship; threats abound.
We are surrounded by the negative - particularly on the news and on social media - increasing death; catastrophic storms; racial unrest; fires. It feels like we are living in apocalyptic times and this constant bombardment makes it very easy to hold onto the negative which has extraordinary downsides. Rumination on the negative can lead to anxiety, hopelessness, and depression. Most of us are seeing symptoms in our patients, our families and in ourselves. I am not a Pollyanna - I’m very much a realist. It is clear the finish line for COVID is moving, combined with the fact that we have much systemic work to do on racial justice and climate change -we are in a marathon, not a sprint. We need medical professionals to be engaged with these issues, but this is a very real challenge given we are exhausted and experiencing burnout.
I suggest we intentionally look for the good. To survive, we are going to have to challenge our brain’s natural tilt toward the negative and be deliberate about taking time to turn off the cacophony of negative eye grabbing headlines, photos and videos, and support each other as we find space to recharge. We must put on our oxygen mask first, enabling us to help others.
Work in the field of positive psychology has demonstrated that simply taking a moment to focus on Three Good Things daily can have lasting improvements in symptoms of depression and increase happiness.*
Winter is coming; Let’s be deliberate about looking for the good and sharing it with others. It will be crucial to navigating the remainder of this pandemic.
Thank you for all you are doing!
*Kathryn C. Adair, Lindsay A. Kennedy & J. Bryan Sexton (2020) Three Good Tools: Positively reflecting backwards and forwards is associated with robust improvements in well-being across three distinct interventions, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15:5, 613-622, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2020.1789707