Restoring the Roar

On September 24, 2013 I attended a presentation titled “Restoring the Roar” about how to deal with burn out on the job, mostly concerning the medical field.  However, I felt it covered all walks in life.  The information was derived from the “The Duke Resilience Mini Course” and the website is http://biit.ly/restoretheroar. The first questions asked the presenter asked the audience were: Do you skip meals;  do you get less than five hours of sleep a night; and do you drink too much coffee.  If anyone in the audience experienced three or more nights with less than five hours of sleep, they are 2 times likely to die of heart disease.  It was recommended that we either get three hours of sleep or five or more.  Getting only four hours of sleep impairs our REM sleep. 

Our brains interpret prolonged fatigue as a stressor, releasing additional glucocoticoids.  Humans are the only life form that deprives themselves of sleep.  We were are deprived of sleep we are risk to become less resilient and there may be some safety issues. 

Why do we need sleep? For memory consolidation, emotional regulation, and to recharge our batteries.  We need to repair and rejuvenate.  With  sleep deprivation, there is a reduction in our ability to form new memories in humans.  Negative memories are most resilient to fatigue, so you become tired and grumpy.  The presenter asked the audience if they were ever bone tired but could not fall asleep when their head hit the pillow.  Blue light is to blame for this and blue light blocker glasses can be purchased for a low price.  The presenter suggested that everyone get at least 10 to 15 minutes of natural light in afternoon.  We will 75% more sleep if we exercise in the morning. 

Resilience, according to Michael Ungar, defines resilience as coming from our genes at 30% and the rest is how we were raised, our environments. Resilience involves: Self-Awareness; Relationships; Mindfulness; Self-Care; and Purpose. The presenter asked if any of us have ever worked for an asshole.  He said burn out is the opposite of resilience.  He suggested that we obtain “The No Asshole Rule” and explore the website www.despair.com.  When we are emotionally exhausted we are just a step away from depression. 

                The brain represents 2% of our body weight, it consists of 20% oxygen, 20-30% kcals, and more neurons than stars in the galaxy.  The prefrontal cortex is busier in women than it is with men.  This portion of our brain is associated with logic, reason, our ability to regulate our emotions and to act socially appropriate.  If you can google with your phone, technology is to readily available. In other words people are too available to the world and vice versa.  Need to turn off all technology and behave as if we are an island for 30 to 90 minutes a day to restore our prefrontal cortex.  If we have cognitive vulnerability, we are more susceptible to depression. Depression can be contagious.  There is a prevalence and impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and burn out syndrome concerning nurses.  Burn out bandaids can consist of spending time with a spouse, other social support, positive learning environments, holding satisfactory conversations, ones in which they are mutual exchanges, control over days off, and quality of working relationships. 

                “The negative screams at you, but the positives only whispers.” Barbara Fredrickson.

                We can counteract the negative through loving kindness meditation.  Positive emotions widens options and negative emotions narrows our options. 

Low performance 1:1

Medium performance 2:1

High performance 6:1

Ratio of positive to negative emotional experiences. 

                It was suggested that we obtain the book “Positivity Book.”  It was recommended that we share three things that went well and what could be better.  Doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise that has been tested.  It was recommended to find one wholly unexpected kind thing to do tomorrow and just do it.  Notice what happens to your mood. 

                “No one misbehaves out of strength….” Ellen Langer, Ph.D.

                Having friends is a bigger predictor of mortality than being a smoker.  Recipe for longevity: no smoking; lots of friends.  (Holt-Lunstadt J. Smith)  Do you have a 4:00a.m. friend?  Is there someone in your life you would feel comfortable phoning at 4:00 a.m. in the morning to tell your troubles to?  If so, you are likely to live longer.  (George Vallant)  The presenter warned about the toxicity of insincerity. 

                The audience practiced active constructive responding which involved: maintain eye contact; smile/touch if appropriate/laugh; overdo praise; concentrate; utilize constructive responses.  (Martin E.P. Seligman) Another resource was recommended “Flourish.”  Again, the presenter recommended that the audience write down three things that have gone well.