Well-Be Wisdom – Coping with Stress: When Micro becomes Macro
By John I. Kennedy Jr, MD
This week I stumbled upon an article offering a new perspective on stress and burnout, calling out the repeated small infractions — or micro-stresses — that can lead to major stress. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, the authors define micro-stresses as “tiny little assaults” that we all experience routinely. These daily events occur so frequently that we barely notice most of them. Although the impact of each individual micro-stressor might be insignificant, the sum of their large numbers becomes substantial. Micro becomes macro
Well-Be Wisdom: Get an Ounce of Prevention!
By John I. Kennedy Jr, MD
One of the many disruptions of the past three years has been the deferral of routine preventative healthcare. It has been estimated that roughly one-third of adults in the U.S. delayed or avoided routine care in the first year of the pandemic alone. I confess that I was among them. I hope that you were not, but if you were, there is a great opportunity available on campus now.
Well-Be Wisdom: Let’s Talk About the F-Word
By John I. Kennedy Jr, MD
Failure. We often treat this as a “dirty word,” a thing we don’t talk about in polite company. And when it comes to personal failure, it can be even more challenging to discuss. But the reality is that we all experience failure. Some people have even suggested that the absence of occasional failure might be a sign that goals have not been set high enough. The pandemic has presented many challenges for all of us. Although some of our new ways of operating have offered unique efficiencies, the lack of regular connections with co-workers and the social isolation have been big negatives. I continue to feel that I am less efficient and less productive overall. And that sensation feels like a failure.
Well-Be Wisdom: Black is Beautiful
By John I. Kennedy Jr, MD
My favorite wellness activity from the past month was a trip to UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) to check out their current special exhibition, “Black is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite.” The collection displays Brathwaite’s images from the late 1950s and beyond. In that era, Brathwaite and his associates responded to how white concepts of beauty negatively affected Black women by popularizing a more expansive perspective using the tagline, “Black is Beautiful.” They also founded the Grandassa Models, a group of local women who appeared in fashion shows at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Images of the Grandassa Models, including Braithwaite’s wife Sikola, are a prominent component of the exhibit.
Well-Be Wisdom: Finding Hope Under the Rubble
By John I. Kennedy Jr, MD
On Wednesday the Department of Medicine held a brief virtual gathering to allow people to share their thoughts and feelings regarding the catastrophic impact of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Dr. Riem Hawi, Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease, offered her personal insights about the country of Syria, its place in the history of our world, and the magnitude of the impact on the people in that region and beyond. Following Dr. Hawi’s presentation, Dr. Vineeta Kumar, Professor in the Division of Nephrology, moderated a conversation among those gathered.