Adjusting to a New Normal
August 03, 2020- 00:03Hi everybody, this is doctors offer again.
- 00:05Thank you so much for watching
- 00:07another one of my videos.
- 00:09You might be able to tell I got a haircut
- 00:12since the last last time I did one of
- 00:15these and it gets to the point of what
- 00:18I want to talk to you about today,
- 00:20which is sort of getting back to work.
- 00:23Getting back to our life.
- 00:25I recognize that this may not be relevant
- 00:27for everybody who's watching this video,
- 00:29but it is relevant for patients in
- 00:31Connecticut where the numbers are starting
- 00:34to drop and restaurants are starting to.
- 00:36And these conversations are
- 00:38starting to happen, and you know.
- 00:40It definitely gives us a lot to think about,
- 00:44and there's a lot of mystery,
- 00:46and there's a lot of confusion
- 00:48out there an my goal in talking to
- 00:50you today is not so much to tell
- 00:53you what to do in the specifics,
- 00:55specifics of how to do it,
- 00:57because there's a lot of
- 00:59information out there about that.
- 01:00But really, what I want to talk about is.
- 01:04A concept that I've spoken about a number of
- 01:06times with regards to Integrative Medicine,
- 01:08which is how we experience it because it is.
- 01:11It is nerve wracking and it is.
- 01:13It is a little bit panic inducing and
- 01:16you know all these feelings that come up.
- 01:19Integrative medicine gives a lot
- 01:21of tools about how to manage it.
- 01:25So what we do is we incorporate traditions
- 01:28that have existed for thousands of
- 01:30years and sometimes that Serbs.
- 01:33Sometimes that's physical practices
- 01:34like yoga,
- 01:35but sometimes it's just a spiritual
- 01:38philosophy and a lot of what I'm going
- 01:41to talk about today incorporates that
- 01:44spiritual philosophy in how we approach.
- 01:47Getting out an.
- 01:50Restarting our lives to certain degree,
- 01:53you know.
- 01:54So you know the first question
- 01:56that often comes up is what can I
- 01:59do to protect myself and we talk
- 02:02about social distancing a lot, and.
- 02:04I hate that word.
- 02:06I hate the term social distancing
- 02:09because I've had some really
- 02:11meaningful interactions over zoom.
- 02:13I've had some really in meaningful
- 02:16interactions from 6 feet away and.
- 02:19You know that space hasn't necessarily
- 02:21prevented those relationships from happening,
- 02:23so I'm not socially distancing.
- 02:25I'm physically distancing Ann,
- 02:27I really do,
- 02:28you know,
- 02:29especially if your immune system
- 02:31is suppressed from chemotherapy,
- 02:33or if you're at high risk.
- 02:35I really do recommend maintaining that
- 02:38physical distance that you're keeping
- 02:40that you're keeping from people,
- 02:42but you know,
- 02:43working on Ways and learning ways
- 02:45to nurture these relationships and
- 02:48having these connections to people.
- 02:50Can be done and an and I think we're
- 02:53learning that throughout this process,
- 02:56you know.
- 02:57Another very specific topic that
- 02:59comes up is masks an I,
- 03:01you know I'll be the first to
- 03:03tell you they're annoying.
- 03:05I don't like them either.
- 03:06They make me uncomfortable,
- 03:08but why do we wear them?
- 03:10Well, first and foremost,
- 03:11obviously is to protect ourselves.
- 03:13You know,
- 03:14we do know that wearing these masks can
- 03:16be helpful for ourselves,
- 03:18but even more important is
- 03:19being in service to others.
- 03:21Watching out for others and taking
- 03:24care of those in our community an.
- 03:27Masks help do that.
- 03:29So much of these of these traditional
- 03:32practices, like yoga, is this idea
- 03:35of being in service to other people.
- 03:38An wearing that mask.
- 03:39You're taking care of those around you,
- 03:42and that's a really,
- 03:43really powerful thing.
- 03:45And not only is a powerful healing for you,
- 03:48it's nurturing for you,
- 03:50and it's something that you really,
- 03:52really should strongly consider doing.
- 03:55Um?
- 03:57You know another big big topic
- 04:00that comes up is where this is end
- 04:03and I don't have a good answer
- 04:06and nobody has a good answer.
- 04:09But what we want to think
- 04:11about is where we right now.
- 04:14Where are we living in the present
- 04:15or living in the present moment?
- 04:17Tools and techniques like yoga
- 04:20and tools and techniques like
- 04:22meditation are really going to help
- 04:25you build the practice of being
- 04:28present in the moment you know.
- 04:30Afan tell my patients that it's it's not
- 04:32about that first thought that comes up.
- 04:35You know we can't control what pops
- 04:37into our mind. We can't control.
- 04:38You know where our mind goes,
- 04:40but we can control.
- 04:42Is that second thought?
- 04:44With the ability to take that first
- 04:46thought and do what we want with it so.
- 04:49Do we let it run amok?
- 04:52Or do we sit there with it and really
- 04:54analyze it and really think about
- 04:56it and what meditation does and
- 04:58mindfulness meditation specifically
- 04:59is is it gives you that skill.
- 05:02So definitely go over to air.
- 05:05Go over to the to our video archive and
- 05:07check out some mindfulness meditation
- 05:09techniques because I think they'll be really,
- 05:12really beneficial to you in sort
- 05:15of building that practice up.
- 05:18Because I'm an immunologist,
- 05:19people always ask me.
- 05:20How do I optimize my immune
- 05:22system during this time?
- 05:24And we've spoken about it a little bit.
- 05:26You know first of all,
- 05:28self care is super important.
- 05:29You know, really,
- 05:30taking the time to be well
- 05:32and be can't yourself.
- 05:34You know?
- 05:35We see elevated inflammatory markers
- 05:37in the sickest patients with covid,
- 05:39but we also see it in patients
- 05:41who are stressed her eating poorly
- 05:43who are getting poor sleep.
- 05:45So think about eating well.
- 05:47Think about eating food that's
- 05:49going to nurse you.
- 05:50Think about getting a good nights rest.
- 05:53A good night's sleep and then
- 05:55think about finding ways to
- 05:58decrease the stress in your life.
- 06:00Jenner video archive.
- 06:01Is is full videos just for that?
- 06:05You know we're all in this together
- 06:08we're all navigating this together.
- 06:11You know we're community and yoga.
- 06:14Yoga has lots of concepts.
- 06:16It's not just about stretching
- 06:18and and these body movements,
- 06:21but there's this concept of
- 06:23Shiva which means service.
- 06:25It means taking care of ourselves.
- 06:28And it means taking care of each other.
- 06:32So be well, take care of yourselves.
- 06:36Thank you so much for listening
- 06:38again and I hope
- 06:39I see all real soon bye.