Simple Survival Tips for Your Crazy Life
Special Edition: Six of our experts offer concise, practical advice to help you get through whatever life throws at you today
Welcome (or welcome back) to your weekly dose of wisdom and wellness, aiming to help you make tomorrow a little better than today. If you haven’t engaged for a while, I invite you to explore our weekly batch of informative and actionable feature stories below, written by our team of experienced journalists, topical experts and practicing professionals.
I’m the publication’s editor, Robert Roy Britt. This week, we start with something special:
Given all the challenges of life these days—political noise, cultural disagreements, and struggles with work and relationships—I asked some of our physicians, psychologists and other experts to offer up one brief tip each from their professional expertise and experience that they would encourage you to do to improve your mood and overall well-being in the context of today’s crazy world. Here’s what they came back with…
“Pacing is everything! When your nervous system revolts from an overload of obligations, multi-tasking, or doomscrolling, take your foot off the gas pedal. Slow down, cut back, delegate, and ask for support. Anxiety, irritability, and physical symptoms (like an aching back) signal the need for rest and repair. Listen to your body. Then, complement relaxation with interests that engage and energize — another great antidote to stress.”
— Gail Post, PhD, licensed psychologist, parenting consultant, author, and associate professor
“Treat your media consumption like medication and get the dose that’s right for you. Why are you listening/reading/scrolling? Anger? Horror? Boredom? If you seek information, what are you trying to learn? Much of newscast content isn’t even new(s), it’s repetition, speculation, and opinions. Learn what you need to know. Then focus on your own life, where you control what you do, who you connect with, and what you enjoy.”
— John Kruse, MD, PhD, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, gay father of twins, marathon runner
“Go outside and walk, preferably in nature, no podcasts or music, just let your head run free. Do some resistance exercises like pushups and squats. Meditate. If you don’t know how, try a free app on your smartphone like Insight Timer. Finally, avoid the quick satisfaction of junk foods. Instead of Doritos, eat something healthy like an apple or some nuts. This combination is calming, energizing, and burns off those negative stress chemicals.”
—Stephen Schimpff, MD, MACP, quasi-retired physician, academic medical center CEO, professor, researcher and author
“Creating something from scratch, even something mundane, brings its own joy. I brewed kombucha; it turned out… mediocre, but there’s a pleasure in diving into instructions, YouTube guide videos by earnest amateurs, and even making mistakes — when they’re at the small scale. No one’s life is ruined by a slightly-too-sour drink, but it’s tastier when I know that I made it myself.”
—Sam Westreich, PhD in genetics, bioinformatician, scientist at a Silicon Valley startup
“Turn off your screen and get outside for at least 30 minutes a day, but preferably longer. Get away from the news and the stress of everyday life and take a walk. Or ride a bike. Plant a garden. Just get outside, soak up the sunshine, and get moving. Your mind will feel clearer, and your body will be energized.”
—Jennifer Brown, MD, family physician, an obesity medicine specialist
“Exercise whenever you can. Only by doing different kinds will you find what is most “meditative” for you. Which type of activity lets your mind focus on the exercise, or nothing at all, the best? For me that’s golf. Golf forces me to clear my mind when hitting. I breathe and enjoy the scenery when I’m not. It is my meditation as I have never been good at sitting quietly and breathing.”
— Dr. Julian Barkan, family medicine physician
Lots of wisdom in those suggestions! Now, I’d like to add a suggestion gleaned from years of interviewing experts on how to handle the human propensity to dwell on negative stuff, which cultivates stress, anxiety and distrust:
Stop everything, close your eyes, and take three really deep breaths, slow on the inhale and exhale. Now conjure a positive thought—something you enjoy or someone you love. You can’t make yourself let go of a negative thought. But you can let it be. Rather than ruminate on what’s wrong, focus on one little thing that’s right. Then take some of the other advice above and just see if your day doesn’t spiral upward.
Now, here are this week’s Wise & Well feature stories:
Yogurt is Not the Probiotic Miracle It Claims to Be
When my Dad had serious colon surgery, the hospital’s staff nutritionist suggested he eat a lot of yogurt because the probiotics would jumpstart his digestive system. I mentioned it to the surgeon, to get a second opinion, and he scoffed. Now I know why. As this scientist explains, yogurt probiotics are not all they’re cracked up to be (but yogurt is still good for you!). By Sam Westreich, PhD
Why ‘Eat Less, Move More’ Doesn’t Work for Everyone
Health information and advice tends to speak to most people, relying on averages and typical cases. Nuance is lost in the interest of making strong and reasonable suggestions, concisely. That can result in very misleading recommendations. This obesity medicine physician explains how common advice on how to lose weight ignores the evolutionary reality for a lot of modern humans. By Jennifer Brown, MD
Why Medical Errors Happen (and how to protect yourself)
Though not common, mistakes in hospitals and other care facilities can be disastrous. You’d think the processes should be clear. But a simple blood test involves seven distinct steps and multiple people. Imagine the process for a big surgery! What really surprised me in this story, by a nurse who studies the issue: One of the most common causes of errors is failing to get test results to a patient. Learn what you can do to ensure you get good care, and don’t slip through the cracks. By Andrea Romeo RN, BN
Do Doctors See You as a Problem Patient?
When I see a doctor, I fail to ask half my questions. Don’t want to be a pain, take up more time than I deserve. So I shortchange myself on an appointment that is usually really hard to get. Thing is, my medical issues (knock wood) have been relatively minor. As this writer explains, doctors actually have a word for their peskiest patients, and it’s not a nice word. By
Randall H. Duckett
How is ADHD Like Diabetes?
It would never occur to me to compare ADHD to diabetes, nor any other mental health condition to a physical ailment. But it occurs to this writer, and from him we learn a lot about not just the obvious manifestations of a condition, but the hidden signs and symptoms that a person deals with silently—or may not even themselves be aware of. Here we learn how challenging diagnoses really are. By John Kruse MD, PhD
Phone App Found to Improve Mental Health
Therapy can be tremendously helpful for many people with depression, anxiety, insomnia and other conditions. But finding and affording a therapist can be challenging for many people. New research suggests apps could be helpful substitutes for some people. By Annie Foley
How to Define Success
Lots of young people might think they know what they want to do with their lives, but many don’t. I was one of the latter. And only upon reflection can I have thoughts on what “success” means. And it’s not what you think! This business professor offers great advice for young people embarking on the rest of their lives—advice that’s actually excellent for anyone at any stage of life. By Patrick Abouchalache
And finally this week…
6 Myths (and Delightful Surprises) of Getting Older
I launched Wise & Well after 30+ years in journalism, with a goal of helping people of all ages make tomorrow a little better than today. Part of the mission for all our writers is debunking health and wellness myths by leaning into a combination of learned experience, professional expertise and solid scientific research. We don’t look for silver bullets. We look for consensus science-driven conclusions and practical advice to fuel common-sense, actionable stories that can move the needle on health and happiness just a little bit—or maybe even a lot, depending on your situation. Anyway, here are the common ideas about aging that my story debunks:
Being old is sad and miserable
You’ll become incurious
Old people can’t do much anymore.
Pain is inevitable.
Older people don’t sleep well.
Aging can be reversed.
My hope is that learning why these myths are unfounded will help you see your future in a whole new light. Meanwhile, thank you for devoting some of your time to Wise & Well this week.
Cheers,
Rob