BRIEFS
NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Coping with Stress
P
hysicians and caregivers face stressful situations daily, but the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on their emotional wellbeing needs. Retired physician William Morgan, MD, MA, is Founder of the Arizona Asthma and Allergy Institute. After retiring from medicine, he flunked retirement and went back to school for a graduate degree in counseling psychology. He is particularly interested in physician resilience. Dr. Morgan says the simplest method to seek support is to follow guidelines found online at mentalhealthfirstaid.org.
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n A R I ZO N A P H Y S I C I A N M A G A Z I N E
MAKE A TOOL KIT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE | Simple things like
groceries and activities of daily living WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY | Plan
your hikes or take-out from your favorite restaurant JOURNALING | It helps to
ventilate both tough and good times COMMUNICATE | Call a family
member, friend, colleague or mentor every day. Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while — chances are they need to hear from you too.
PROVIDE SELF-CARE
SLEEP | Get 7-8 hours, set a
routine to wind down, limiting screen time EXERCISE DAILY | Even a short
20-minute walk helps
RELAX AS NEEDED | Try deep
breathing and a pleasant memory LIGHT THERAPY | If you are prone
to Seasonal Affective Disorder MEDIA CONSUMPTION | Know
when it is time to walk away HEALTHY ACTIVITIES | Do things you enjoy but avoid alcohol and drugs SEEK COUNSELING | Often hard
for physicians to do, but nobody can go this alone
