Real Wellness

By Nina Guzzetta, MD

Dr. Guzzetta

The year 2020 has been a year of great upheaval. In our world today, we face an unprecedented number of crises. I don’t need to recite all of them to you, but for emphasis, I will.

To begin, there is a health crisis, namely the coronavirus pandemic. As healthcare workers, our lives have been significantly impacted. Everything from negotiating the reuse of our personal protective equipment to serious concerns for the health of ourselves and our families has shaken us to our core. The economic struggles of this pandemic are widespread, and its effect on our communities have brought us to tears. And then there is the need to be physically distant. How do we build connection and community? How do we best educate and tend to the needs of our children?

We are also facing a moral crisis that is unveiling the extent of racism and social injustice throughout our society and our world. And, if that wasn’t enough, we are witnessing the grave results of a climate crisis with relentless wildfires in the western United States and ferocious hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lastly, as I sit to write on this cool fall morning, in the United States we are only a few days away from a very heated election with fierce opinions on both sides. So, if you feel like there is a lot for you to hold right now, it’s because there is. Even before 2020, as pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists, you were already dealing with a lot of conflicting issues pulling on your attention. Now many of us are feeling overwhelmed, over-anxious and overly stressed. We need to tend to these feelings; yet, how do we steady our minds and hearts as we work our way through these challenging times?

Honestly, I do not have a cure-all answer, but I’m fairly sure it’s not the free yoga class that my hospital started offering on weekdays between 12 and 1pm. Instead, I invite you to consider the concept of yin and yang which developed out of Chinese philosophy in the 3rd century BCE or even earlier.

It describes how seemingly opposite forces or energies, yin and yang, are actually complementary, and even help give rise to one another. The philosophy states that yin and yang energies were born from the chaos present when the universe was first created. Yang is the white energy, and is associated with qualities such as day, heat, brightness and movement. It represents our outer activities, productivity and accomplishments.

Yin, on the other hand, is the dark energy, and is associated with night, cool, stillness and calm. It represents our inner domain of rest, rejuvenation and creativity. Although they represent two contrary forces, in truth they are interdependent and interconnected. Their corresponding symbol illustrates this.  Neither is superior to the other and, as one increases, there is a corresponding decrease in the other. In addition, each has at its core an element of the other as represented by the small dots. Together these two energies exist throughout the natural world. The critical point is that a correct balance between them must be reached to achieve harmony. When the equilibrium goes askew, dis-ease will arise.

In western culture, we are not taught about this balance. If we are not constantly doing, achieving and accomplishing, we feel unworthy. Most of us suffer from yang overload. But as a friend of mine says, if you really want to yang well, you better yin well too.     

Back to the original question: how do we tend to ourselves during this time of overwhelming crises and uncertainty? I have two thoughts to share. First, invite in the yin. Embrace it. Now is not the time to fill your “to do” list with countless tasks and unattainable goals. Now is a time for stillness and inner reflection.

Valerie Kaur, a renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer, asks “What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb?” That would mean now is a time of gestation, during which it is important to quiet our minds and listen to our hearts. I encourage you to find some time, maybe a few minutes a few days each week, to sit and be still. When we take time to reflect in silence, we set our best intentions. From the inner wisdom of yin, we can then arise with yang and tend to the needs of our world. Great stress, while difficult, can awaken our potential and transform us if we are willing to stop and bring presence to it.

My second thought is to cultivate compassion, not just for one another but especially for yourself. Most of you are exquisite caregivers. You serve your patients, families, colleagues and communities tirelessly and with tender care. As coronavirus cases are rapidly increasing and our healthcare systems are once again becoming overloaded, I challenge you to bring that same caring to yourself. Underneath our fear, worry, anxiety and anger is a deeper need to care. Compassion is the wish for everyone to be free from pain and suffering, and it comes naturally once we access the depth of our heart.

I apologize if you wanted me to discuss ordinary wellness and offer the routine recommendations to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep. But unfortunately, these are not ordinary times. While we certainly benefit from doing those things, now is a time for real wellness, and real wellness requires our deepest attention. We have to bring an honest presence to our difficult emotions and know that our heart is big enough to hold them all. We have to be willing to work with our mind to settle ourselves and open our hearts, and that is no easy task.

So, during these challenging times, I encourage you to take a mindful moment to just be. Focus on your breath and invite in peace and calm. Hold yourself with gentleness and compassion. Be willing to see each other and yourself with a nobility of heart. To me, this is real wellness and it has the ability to transform our world.