Decompress

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A place of rest in the midst of it all Apr 17, 2020

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Decompress #10, A place of rest in the midst of it all Anthony Back

We are witnessing, and treating, and healing in ways that we didn’t even know we could do. The value of that—especially in the health care system of this moment—is incalculable. But we’ve all been working harder than ever. Chronic stress, over time, changes your brain. So what could you do to sustain and renew yourself tonight? Today you practice giving yourself permission.

Responding to inequity Apr 16, 2020

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Decompress #9, Responding to inequity Anthony Back

How do we clinicians—even as we negotiate the dangers we face ourselves—do justice to those who work alongside us who are returning home to many fewer resources? It is a troubling issue, that one cannot easily put to rest at the end of a busy day. Yet—it is possible to power down for the evening without just ignoring the issue. The practice is called ‘giving and receiving’, and by doing it you can begin to find a path for yourself.

Embracing vulnerability Apr 15, 2020

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Decompress #8, Embracing vulnerability Anthony Back

Reporters seem quite interested in the moments when a clinician’s sense of invulnerability is ‘shattered’. The New York Times Daily podcast made much of this today. But I see the whole issue quite differently. You don’t have to protect your so-called ‘invulnerability’—it’s not a shield. And vulnerability is not a black-and-white, yes-or-no matter. The truth of it runs much deeper. You can get a taste of what i mean in today’s podcast. You might even feel stronger, shield aside.

What the heart knows Apr 14, 2020

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Decompress #7, What the heart knows Anthony Back

A friend said yesterday, “It’s like the rug has been pulled out from under us.” Reality check: it’s never been clearer that we are not in control. Turning on your empathy feels kind of risky because it so rapidly leads to helplessness. We can end the day feeling depleted and discouraged. And our brains go into cognitive overdrive. Today, three ways to reaffirm and remind yourself of what your heart still knows, so that you can end your day in a way that jump-starts your renewal.

Grateful for you Apr 13, 2020

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Decompress #6, Grateful for you Anthony Back

A colleague of mine told me: “I’m coming to the realization that that I’m going to be processing this for a while. In other times, I might have explored what he was processing. But not today. It turns out that pushing yourself to explore—or pushing someone else—actually can have negative consequences. Instead, you can work through the body to power down. And take a moment to text a friend to say that you have their back.

Looking to replenish the felt sense Apr 11, 2020

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Decompress #5, Looking to replenish the felt sense Anthony Back

When you can’t look someone in the eye—directly—your encounter isn’t quite the same. I’m not questioning the value of video or PPE right now. But it’s like being covered in bubble wrap when we’re trying to connect. We miss out on what neuroscientists call the ‘retinal eye lock’—what babies experience with their mothers as their very first relational experience—and consequently our brains miss out on a gratifying neurochemical shower of connection, comfort, and safety. Recognizing that, however, we can spend a few minutes on our way home reconnecting with ourselves as a prelude to catching up on what we missed at work. A respite from the bubble wrap.

A moment to savor Apr 10, 2020

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Decompress #4, A moment to savor Anthony Back

We’re all getting super-efficient—with PPE, surge planning, pharmacy shortages—as a survival strategy. It’s a way of getting the work done while limiting our droplet exposure. But if we don’t shift out of our efficiency mode of being once we leave work, it’s all too easy to buzz through the good stuff at home. And then the renewal that comes with that good stuff doesn’t happen. Today, we discover what slowing down makes possible: savoring. It turns out that our ability to self-regulate the meaningful experiences in our lives is something we can cultivate. Savoring is a way of taking back control that is linked to well-being. While you walk home, hit pause on the automatic-future-projection machine that is your brain. In just a few minutes, you can retrain it to savor.

Restoring a sense of safety Apr 09, 2020

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Decompress #3, Restoring a sense of safety Anthony Back

By the end of the day, the feeling that you are surrounded by contagious vectors can leave your flight and flight systems stuck in overdrive. But there is an antidote: a practice that has persisted across millenia to be validated by science—the latest systematic review includes 20 studies involving over 1300 participants. See if you can use it to power down so that by the time you walk through your front door, you’ll be able to find a measure of the safety that all of us right now crave. In under 10 minutes.

Now, go slower. Apr 08, 2020

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You've been running flat out all day. How do you power down? Today, we try out a visualization that addresses the feeling of being weighed down by all the serious stuff you saw today.

Power down, renew, reboot Apr 07, 2020

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Decompress #1 Power down, renew, reboot Anthony Back

To my fellow clinicians everywhere: we’re in a marathon, not a sprint. So what you do to sustain yourself is more important than ever. This podcast is meant to give you a few moments of space to focus on how you detach from work at the end of your day, give yourself something that replenishes the fuel you need for your own mind and heart, and prepares you for deep rest. Listen on your way home from work—it’s designed to take advantage of the minutes when you’re walking or commuting home. So that by the time you walk through the doorway to your own home, you’ll have shaken off at least some of the residue of the day, and you’ll be ready to power down.

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