Move:
• Ok not the most optimistic data. But The Atlantic reports on a study from JAMA Internal Medicine showing counties in the US where the life expectancy is declining. Eight of the top 10 counties are in Kentucky. The article explains how some of this trend can be explained by opioid overdose deaths. But this similar Atlantic story shows another reason, Kentuckians are second worst in the nation on percentage of adults meeting the minimum exercise recommendation.
• The positive spin on this story is that we have a huge margin for improvement in Kentucky. Promote exercise in your patients or your friends today.
Rest:
• A recent email from The Daily Stoic (a daily email newsletter that I highly recommend) pulls a quote from Mindfulness in Plain English.
“The longer you keep a cup of muddy water still, the more the mud settles down and the water will be seen clearly. Similarly, if you keep quiet without moving your body, focusing your entire undivided attention on the subject of your meditation, your mind settles down and begins to experience the bliss of meditation.”
• Try this the next time you have a free couple of minutes. Don’t pressure yourself to “meditate.” Just sit in a quiet place and “watch” the dust settle in your mind. It gets easier with practice.
Nutrition:
• Healthy popsicles: Recipe from MDA using instant coffee, collagen protein, coconut milk, and optional sweetener. I made a batch with the Whole Earth sweetener. Very rich and delicious. Eat early in the day due to the caffeine.
Wisdom:
Jon Kabat-Zinn sat down with Robert Wright in Louisville to discuss mindfulness and Wright’s newest book. Wright has written extensively on evolution and morality. He has a refreshing belief that humans over time are becoming more moral, better at cooperating (central thesis of his book Nonzero). In this interview, Wright talks about his own lack of talent with meditating, and overall skepticism toward many tenets of Buddhism. But you cannot argue with the validity, the efficacy of meditation. Whether this comes in the form of religious prayer, Vipissana meditation, dancing, singing, or any other variation. The brain seems to crave this mono-tasking, the escape from constant sensory stimuli and hedonic adaptation. Check out any of Wright’s books but definitely this interview.
Community:
• Please take 4 minutes to watch this video by Cleavon Gilman, MD, an EM resident in NYC. He raps about the stress and burnout of medical training, but also the resilience that is possible with the right outlook. Solid song. Thanks to our chief hip hop analyst, Dr. Royce Coleman (aka “The Notorious RDC”) for this tip.
Quote:
“Imagine if our negative feelings, or at least lots of them, turned out to be illusions, and we could dispel them by just contemplating them from a particular vantage point.”
– Robert Wright
