I had a great time at last week’s conference in Lisbon. Sat on the flight home, I was reflecting on what were the most enjoyable bits.
I liked the ‘late breaking scientific sessions’, where researchers first let the scientific community know the results of their trials. There’s something about hearing new data, feeling like you know about the cutting edge that is appealing. However it wasn’t the best bit. In fact, the amount of actual knowledge I learned was no-where like when I was a junior doctor, lapping it all up and stuffing my brain. No, the best bit was the conversations. I met up with many colleagues from around the UK and indeed the world, and we talked shop.
Challenges, successes, research ideas and collaborations.
Those personal, human connections are really important to me, and they make me happy. Without them, the conference would have been a bit… bland. I will put my hands up and admit that the best meetings were the ones that also happened to include some fabulous seafood, with a glass or two of cold Portuguese white wine (by the way I’m convinced they don’t export the best stuff, as I can’t recall having such a nice example in England!)
The last 3 weeks of my blog have all been about dementia, and I have stressed that depression is one of, if not the most important risk factor. Good emotional health is of paramount importance, yet gets very little air time compared to conventional pillars of physical health like not smoking, doing exercise, maintaining a normal weight and so on. I don’t think I gave it much thought either until around 7 or 8 years ago. I was having a difficult time at work, and over a period of time without me really realising it had been getting ground down. One day enough was enough, and I decided I needed to do something about it. I’m sure you will all have moments in your life when you can clearly remember where you were, what you were doing, how you felt. This was one of mine.
I’m the sort of person that avoids confrontation by nature, but figured I had no choice, and tackled the situation on after that eureka moment. The details aren’t really relevant, but the point is I took action, and fairly instantly got results. I am a born optimist. I will always see the brighter side of things, and figure life will have a way of working out. Without realising I think I had lost some of that in the year or two beforehand. Looking back, that time was pivotal in my own emotional health journey, as it made me realise how important it was to ‘exercise’ my brain as much as my body.
I learned how to meditate (and let me tell you that did not come easily to me!) What a waste of my time, I thought, feeling my breath coming in and out. This was the sort of thing anxious people did, or with mental health problems, and I was a successful young consultant cardiologist. How wrong I was about meditation! I can count on one hand the number of days I have missed a meditation in the last 5 years.
You will know by now that I like to ask questions of my website members, so this week I would simply like you to reflect on your own emotional health. How is it? What do you do to maintain it? Do you think it’s important? It’s a reflection well worth doing.