Focus on Physicians:

Insights, Ideas, and Strategies



Podcast, Mindfulness, Meditation Sarah Samaan Podcast, Mindfulness, Meditation Sarah Samaan

My Podcast Appearance with Kevin MD on Meditation and Mindfulness

In my recent conversation with Kevin Pho, M.D we discussed how mindfulness can have far-reaching effects not only for physicians, but for those you we care for. We also discussed the best times for meditation, when you might want to avoid it, and how a brief meditation can impact your sense of well-being.

As a physician coach, I love sharing this story, because it encapsulates how such a simple and brief practice can have a meaningful impact.


Despite often heavy-handed corporate efforts to the contrary, mindfulness is not a bandaid to fix all that is wrong with healthcare. And it’s not a substitute for the meaningful change that is so desperately needed. Instead, it’s a reminder to be present and engage with what is happening right now, without judgement or reactivity.


I enjoyed my recent conversation with Kevin Pho, M.D. We discussed how mindfulness can have far-reaching effects not only for yourself, but for those you care for. We also discussed the best times for meditation, when you might want to avoid it, and how a brief meditation can impact your sense of well-being.

 

As a physician coach, I love sharing this story, because it encapsulates how such a simple and brief practice can have a meaningful impact.

 

Despite often heavy-handed corporate efforts to the contrary, mindfulness is not a bandaid to fix all that is wrong with healthcare. And it’s not a substitute for the meaningful change that is so desperately needed. Instead, it’s a reminder to be present and engage with what is happening right now, without judgement or reactivity.

 

Through mindfulness, you are can find a way to take a moment in the middle of the daily storm to re-center and reset. And for physicians, that can go a long way towards building stronger relationships with patients and staff based on trust and respect.

 

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The Power of the Pause: Creating Engagement and Presence

What if you took the concept of taking a timeout pause out of the OR and into the other demanding parts of the day? It makes sense that taking a brief pause between meetings, procedures, or complex patient care is important. But my guess is that very few of us actually do this.

New research from Microsoft's Human Factors Lab supports the idea that taking a personal pause can not only help you to reset but may even improve your engagement with your next patient or procedure.

If you do surgery or procedures, you’re probably familiar with the idea of taking a timeout. This is a mandated hard stop in the operating room or procedure lab. It’s a moment for everyone involved to verify that they are on the same page and that all necessary preparations have been made.


What if you took the concept of taking a pause out of the OR and into the other demanding parts of your day? It makes sense that taking a brief pause between meetings, procedures, or complex patient care might be helpful. But my guess is that very few of us actually do this.



New research from Microsoft's Human Factors Lab supports the idea that taking a personal pause can not only help you to reset but may even improve your engagement with your next patient or procedure.


Since this was Microsoft, the study looked at the way people engaged in meetings. The 14 subjects were tasked with wearing an EEG while participating in video meetings. Each meeting lasted 30 minutes.



On one day, they took part in four back-to-back meetings, without a break. On the other, each meeting was followed by a 10-minute pause. Instead of simply checking their phones, the participants meditated with the Headspace app.

Physician taking a mindful pause at work.




The results were pretty interesting. Analysis of brain waves showed that taking a pause for a brief meditation created greater engagement during the following meeting.

Conversely, with no pause, there was EEG evidence of greater stress during the next meeting.


Productivity is often measured by the amount of time spent working. But this study and others suggest that engagement is a more important (and healthier) metric.



Bringing these ideas into healthcare can be challenging when there is no end to the pressures of the inbox and adding one more procedure or working in one more patient (with fewer members of the support staff) is the norm.



How can you begin to practice taking a pause? It’s not always practical to take a 10-minute break for meditation in the middle of a busy day. But even a few mindful moments can help. Here are a few practical tips that can help you to create a little breathing space for yourself and to be more present for your patients:

  • Breathe Mindfully:

Take a few deep, intentional breaths before going in to see a difficult or complex patient. Focus on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body. This simple act can help anchor your awareness to the present moment.

  • Body Scan:

Conduct a quick body scan to release tension. Start from the top of your head and gradually move down to your toes, paying attention to any areas of tightness or discomfort. Allow these areas to relax, even if it’s just a little.

  • Mindful Observation:

Take a moment to observe your surroundings without judgment or reactivity. Notice the colors, textures, and sounds in your environment. This brief shift in attention can provide a mental break and promote a sense of calm.

 

Taking mindful pauses between patients is not just a momentary break from a hectic schedule. It's an investment in your well-being and a way to engage more deeply with your patients. It can be a quick way to reboot your energy. By incorporating mindfulness into your routine, you can cultivate a sense of balance, focus, and empathy that positively impacts both you and those who depend on you.


It's time that healthcare leaders begin to learn the lessons that Microsoft and other leading companies already know. By supporting and empowering physicians and the healthcare team, healthcare systems will not only improve engagement and work satisfaction but will likely improve patient outcomes and physician and staff retention.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

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Art, Mindfulness, and Medical Practice: Wu Zhen’s The Fisherman

I believe that visual art is a portal through which we can find powerful connections between ourselves and people from all walks of life.
For physicians and others in healthcare, art can provide a framework that offers the potential to build understanding and create greater trust. By spending time with a work of art, we’re able to explore what the world might mean to somebody completely different from us.

In this article, I’ll explore Wu Zhen’s The Fisherman, and the lessons it offers for medical practice.

I believe that visual art is a portal through which we can find powerful connections between ourselves and people from all walks of life.

For physicians and others in healthcare, art can provide a framework that offers the potential to build understanding and create greater trust. By spending time with a work of art, we’re able to explore what the world might mean to somebody completely different from us.

Art is also a way to access mindfulness in a way that feels meaningful and relatable. It only takes a few minutes of focused attention to gain a greater and more subtly shaded experience. Think of the way that you listen to music. Sometimes it’s simply background noise, other times entertainment, but sometimes the experience can be a gateway to new ideas, or a way to connect the dots that have been accumulating in your conscious mind.

In an earlier post, I shared the very contemporary insights and connections that we can access by spending time with Vermeer’s The Geographer, painted in the 1600s. In this article, I’ll explore an even older work of art: Wu Zhen’s The Fisherman.

Wu Zhen, The Fisherman (attribution: Wu Zhen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Wu Zhen painted in the 14th century. In his lifetime, he was not really acknowledged or recognized as being an important artist. But about a hundred years later, he was identified as one of the four Great Masters of the Yuan. As a result, his work became a real point of reference for many subsequent artists, and that continues to this day.

When Wu Zhen was painting, his country was in chaos as a result of the Mongol takeover. Despite that, there was tremendous cultural growth. At the time, there was a very powerful, industrious scholar class that was highly visible in public life. For the middle class, that was felt to be a realm of life to aspire to.

But there was also an idealized life of a simpler and more rural lifestyle. Although Wu Zhen was educated and could well have been part of the scholarly class, he chose to take his life in a slower direction, away from the turmoil and conflict that was part of life in the city.

Through his work, he sought to capture and distill the essence of his subject with line, shade, and pattern. Many of his works, like this one, included a poem written in calligraphy, which is translated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as:

Red leaves west of the village reflect evening rays,
Yellow reeds on a sandy bank cast early moon shadows.
Lightly stirring his oar,
Thinking of returning home,
He puts aside his fishing pole, and will catch
no more.

So he lived this very simple rural lifestyle, yet was a man of great intellect.

At the same time, in the cities, other Chinese artists were creating more literal portraiture. But it was understood that there was a difference between this more factual based way of working versus the more ethereal and intellectual work of somebody like Wu Zhen.

In our contemporary age, sometimes this longing for simplicity or austerity is misinterpreted a sign of a simple or less educated mind. Yet these preconceptions can be misleading. Wu Zhen’s work is a reminder that in accepting a conventional stereotype, we may miss out on experiencing the richness and depth of an individual.

How can you transfer the experience of art to the practice of medicine? Consider what happens when you meet a patient or somebody in your everyday life. With the brief time allotted for the encounter, you might only be given the outlines of that person, almost like a quick sketch. Perhaps if you’re open to this way of seeing, you will take a few moments to appreciate those outlines, and to notice that they do not often fit into a simple template. In doing so you might be able to notice more layers than you first realized. Perhaps it’s the choice of clothing, the way they carry themselves, the book they hold in their hand. And as a result, your questions may become more nuanced and your listening may become more focused.

Think about this way of relating as creating sort of a bridge between you and the other person. You might be able to find a connection or trace a thread of a clue in the same way as you might experience a work of art.

If you want to learn more about the painting, and spend a few minutes in a mindfulness meditation focused on the work, I’ve created a YouTube video that you can access here.


If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

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Three Things Physicians Should Know About Meditation

Meditation is a hot topic with deep roots. It’s often touted as an antidote to burnout, when in truth most of us know that a meditation app won’t solve the systemic issues that plague healthcare today. It’s no wonder that some physicians might be skeptical. That’s why it’s exciting that academic researchers have been taking this ancient practice seriously. And they are discovering that meditation can have powerful and measurable benefits for your mental well-being, memory, and even your physical health.

This article appeared in a slightly different form on the KevinMD website.

Meditation is a hot topic with deep roots, but sometimes it feels like it’s being pushed as a modern-day version of snake oil for what ails the spirit.

Meditation is often touted as an antidote to burnout, when in truth most of us know that a meditation app won’t solve the systemic issues that plague healthcare today. It’s no wonder that some physicians might be skeptical.

That’s why it’s exciting that academic researchers have been taking this ancient practice seriously. And they are discovering that meditation can have powerful and measurable benefits for your mental well-being, memory, and even your physical health.

Meditation is a legitimate area of scientific inquiry

A quick search on PubMed.gov retrieves thousands of reports and peer-reviewed studies on meditation, the majority of which were published in the past 10 years. Getting a handle on the health benefits of meditation could take you down a fascinating, twisty-turny rabbit hole worthy of Alice in Wonderland.

I was introduced to mindfulness meditation years ago when I first began practicing yoga, but to be honest, making time to simply sit and be present just wasn’t a priority for me. My interest grew when I realized that many of the physicians and scientists that I admire the most, including Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Vivek Murthy, incorporate meditation into their daily lives.

Mindfulness meditation is a form of meditation that focuses on being present in the current moment, slowing down thoughts, and observing without judgement. These features make mindfulness meditation especially valuable for physicians. Here are three things that you should know.


Meditation may enhance your skills as a physician.

There is a broad range of research looking at the impact of meditation on neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. For physicians, the ability to focus on the details, remain present for our patients, and maintain equanimity when faced with stressful situations are especially important. Meditation can help by

It may be best to meditate in the morning.

Although meditation may improve your sleep quality, there is good evidence that in the short term, mindfulness meditation can actually increase brain arousal. Why does this happen? The theory is that since meditation may help to focus the mind, this can result in heightened awareness and attention. That’s why it may be better for most people to meditate at the beginning of the day.

On the other hand, you may find that less focused forms of meditation can help you drift off to sleep. Apps like Calm and Headspace are good places to find these types of practices.

 

A five-minute daily meditation can have lasting benefits.

Morning might be the best time to meditate, but few of us are willing to wake up 30 minutes early just to sit quietly in a comfortable position. The good news is that a study of stressed-out mental health professionals found that a mere 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation can have important benefits.


Getting started with meditation is easy. Counter to what you might have heard, you don’t have to escape to an ashram or travel to a tropical island to learn how to do it. As a certified Mindfulness Coach, I share meditations online, along with many other excellent meditation teachers, but there are even simpler options. The Waking Up app is a fantastic resource, and includes a 30 day starter course. Insight Timer is another good choice.

As with many things, meditation isn’t for everyone. If you find that meditation creates stress or agitation, it may be best to avoid it. And if you’re under the care of a mental health professional, check in with them first before beginning a meditation practice.

Do you have questions about meditation or mindfulness as it relates to medical practice? Drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.


 

References:

Britton WB et al. Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2014 Jan;1307:64-81.

Fox KC et al. Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation practitioners. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2014 Jun;43:48-73.

Hölzel BK et al. Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Res. 2011 Jan 30;191(1):36-43.

Kozasa, EH et al. Meditation training increases brain efficiency in an attention task. NeuroImage, 2012 Jan; 59: 745-749,

Krittanawong C et al. Meditation and Cardiovascular Health in the US. Am J Cardiol. 2020 Sep 15;131:23-26.

Lam AG et al. Effects of Five-Minute Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health Care Professionals. J Psychol Clin Psychiatry 2015 March; 2(3): 00076.

Pérez-Peña M et al. Mindfulness-Based Interventions and Body Awareness. Brain Sci. 2022 Feb 18;12(2):285.

Rusch HL et al. The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2019 Jun;1445(1):5-16.

Wu R et al. Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Emotion Processing. Front Neurosci. 2019 Oct 10;13:1074.

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