Wellness 3.0 | wellnessrounds

It’s our nature, particularly in medicine, to be so focused on figuring out what the problem is and how to make it better that we fail to recognize how powerful it can be to simply state…

“I don’t know what’s needed, but it’s not this.”

My physiology professor in medical school taught that homeostasis, maintaining a range of acceptable physiology by returning to a baseline, was what kept us alive and healthy. But this was subsequently refined as scholars realized that returning to a set point in a constantly fluctuating environment wasn’t enough… nor was it actually happening. Peter Sterling (a Professor of medicine) and Joseph Eyer (an interdisciplinary scholar interested in stress) realized that ”…the way to stay stable through the process of change is by changing, at least to some extent.” They called this new idea “allostasis” (allo = “other”, stasis = “standing still”)

In other words, the only way to achieve stability that allows us to flourish is to evolve in response to the stresses we experience.

“Not this” is a powerful catalyst for that evolution. It keeps us from returning to some former baseline, pushing us to move to an entirely different place if we are to maintain our stability.

Maybe, when we talk about “moving the needle” to change ourselves or the culture(s) we live in, we should aspire to start with “Not this” – and then sit with that realization, allowing it to slowly guide us, change us, and heal us so we can heal others and the world.

“If you already know “not this,” begin to explore and dream about what could be the alternative. The alternative story, the alternative you, the alternative future, the alternative healing.”

Sarah Bessey, Field Notes for the Wilderness

p.s. As promised… I never use AI for writing, but I did use it for the image at the top of this post.

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When is a blanket wrapped around your shoulders at 4am more than just something to keep you warm? Everyone who has worked all night resuscitating patients in the ICU, operating on emergencies that can’t wait, or caring for patients on the ward has experienced the chill that accompanies the normal 3-6 am drop in body temperature.

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When we wrap a blanket around our shoulders or reach for a fleece vest to keep warm, in a way it’s just that… something to keep us warm in response to a normal circadian rhythm. But I can’t help but wonder if it might help to look at these garments as more than just a source of warmth.

The word “mantel” is a wonderful, old-fashioned word. It’s defined as “a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes”. The blanket over your shoulders when you get cold in the middle of the night is a mantel, as is your (usually Patagonia) vest. Perhaps replacing white coats with these vests isn’t the loss of symbolism we thought – if we can see them as a modern day mantel.

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A mantel is more than just a garment – it is also a symbol of authority and power. This religious text is the source of the idiom “taking up the mantel”, which means to carry on the teachings and the authority of those who have passed on their skills, values, and wisdom to us.

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The next time you get cold when you are up all night and you zip up your vest or grab a blanket to put over your shoulders, pause for a minute to consider this: We live in a volatile time, where many forces seem to be dismantling systems to the detriment of patients and their healers… if we don’t protect our patients and our trainees, who will?

“The covenant we make is not simply about how we will do a job, it is also about who we will be when we don the mantel of “physician.” It prescribes our conduct, calibrates our moral compass, and entwines both with our identity.” Wendy Dean

I never use AI to write, but I did use it for the banner photo. I’ll always let you know when I do.