It’s a day of remembrance, and also looking forward. I’m finishing up the podcast—at least for now—and thinking about what is needed now. If you’ve been listening, you have built a new habit about detaching from the day, and worked with intentionally shifting your attention, regulating your emotions, and working with your body. And now, i’m feeling, there is more to do that is a bit different. In the meantime, if you have 3 min to fill out a survey, it would help me discern where this work could be of service next. 

It’s a day of remembrance, and also looking forward. I’m finishing up the podcast—at least for now—and thinking about what is needed now. If you’ve been listening, you have built a new habit about detaching from the day, and worked with intentionally shifting your attention, regulating your emotions, and working with your body. And now, i’m feeling, there is more to do that is a bit different. In the meantime, if you have 3 min to fill out a <a href="https://anthonyback.typeform.com/to/ESBCpk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">survey,</a> it would help me discern where this work could be of service next.

A moment for hope

Inspired by Peter Senge today—in this moment, what’s our intention? We all have a usual answer, but today could listen beneath our usual chatter? And: i’d love to hear what you have taken away from this podcast here—10 randomly selected respondents will be offered a private chat with me about their own sustainability!

Inspired by Peter Senge today—in this moment, what’s our intention? We all have a usual answer, but today could listen beneath our usual chatter? And: i’d love to hear what you have taken away from this podcast <a href="https://anthonyback.typeform.com/to/ESBCpk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>—10 randomly selected respondents will be offered a private chat with me about their own sustainability!

What we’re unlearning

As clinicians, we’ve generally thrown ourselves into the next phase of life without much forethought—for physicians like me, for example, the transition from student to resident wasn’t something that occasioned a lot of reflection. But this pandemic is different, and we need to make space for it. 

As clinicians, we’ve generally thrown ourselves into the next phase of life without much forethought—for physicians like me, for example, the transition from student to resident wasn’t something that occasioned a lot of reflection. But this pandemic is different, and we need to make space for it.

Making space for a reboot

We’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic. And you’re still surfing the changes. What makes that possible? Plus: fill out a feedback survey and get a chance for a phone call focused on your resilience! 

We’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic. And you’re still surfing the changes. What makes that possible? Plus: fill out a <a href="https://anthonyback.typeform.com/to/ESBCpk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">feedback survey</a> and get a chance for a phone call focused on your resilience!

Surfing the changes

Many of us have been inundated with patients, and I’ve heard more than one clinician confess to feeling guilty because they can’t remember them all distinctly. Perhaps there is another way for us to process all this. Today, a poem by Billy Collins—enjoy.

Many of us have been inundated with patients, and I’ve heard more than one clinician confess to feeling guilty because they can’t remember them all distinctly. Perhaps there is another way for us to process all this. Today, a poem by Billy Collins—enjoy.

Witnessing all the names

Whether we’re in a place where the ICUs are full, or a place where the pandemic hasn’t really hit, the uncertainty can be exhausting. So what do we turn to when our usual sources—the news, our friends, our livelihoods—only seem to raise questions?

Whether we’re in a place where the ICUs are full, or a place where the pandemic hasn’t really hit, the uncertainty can be exhausting. So what do we turn to when our usual sources—the news, our friends, our livelihoods—only seem to raise questions?

Something you can depend on

If you’ve ever felt that you ‘can’t unsee’ something, this one is for you. How do we recover when we feel pushed off-center? The research tells us that the answer is not in suppressing our thoughts—it’s something quite different. 

If you’ve ever felt that you ‘can’t unsee’ something, this one is for you. How do we recover when we feel pushed off-center? The research tells us that the answer is not in suppressing our thoughts—it’s something quite different.

Feeling into your roots

We end up carrying so many things during the day. So when it’s time to power down, is there a way to put everything away for the evening? It’s a mental habit you can build.

We end up carrying so many things during the day. So when it’s time to power down, is there a way to put everything away for the evening? It’s a mental habit you can build.

Putting everything down

With the news of furloughs for some staff, it seems that we’re entering a new phase. The stresses are changing. Which makes it even more critical for us to be working from a robust psychological stability. Today, then, is about coherence, and how to find it.

With the news of furloughs for some staff, it seems that we’re entering a new phase. The stresses are changing. Which makes it even more critical for us to be working from a robust psychological stability. Today, then, is about coherence, and how to find it.

Strengthening your coherence

Some days, especially when the work is intense, it is hard to separate from the day. You walk out of the hospital with unfinished business still swirling around in your head. Could we find the mental fluidity to shift into a different mode for evening? Could we feel that fluidity in the body?

Some days, especially when the work is intense, it is hard to separate from the day. You walk out of the hospital with unfinished business still swirling around in your head. Could we find the mental fluidity to shift into a different mode for evening? Could we feel that fluidity in the body?

Recovering a sense of fluidity

Sustainability for health care people. LIsten as you leave work, before you get home. Power down, renew, &amp; reboot.

Decompress podcast provides just the right space to reflect and transition from the intense daily work of a health care provider to a gentler space at home. The reflection and guided practice is different each day and offers something for everyone.  The 10 min length seems just right.

Perfect ending

Tony Back gets healthcare workers to slow down and care for self during the chaos of caretaking for COVID patients.

Best new content in COVID era

Sustainability for health care people. LIsten as you leave work, before you get home. Power down, renew, &amp; reboot.

Decompress

By the end of the day, the feeling that you are surrounded by contagious vectors can leave your  flight and flight systems stuck in overdrive. But there is an antidote: a practice that has persisted across millenia to be validated by science—the latest systematic review includes 20 studies involving over 1300 participants. See if you can use it to power down so that by the time you walk through your front door, you’ll be able to find a measure of the safety that all of us right now crave. In under 10 minutes.

By the end of the day, the feeling that you are surrounded by contagious vectors can leave your flight and flight systems stuck in overdrive. But there is an antidote: a practice that has persisted across millenia to be validated by science—the latest systematic review includes 20 studies involving over 1300 participants. See if you can use it to power down so that by the time you walk through your front door, you’ll be able to find a measure of the safety that all of us right now crave. In under 10 minutes.

Restoring a sense of safety

We’re all getting super-efficient—with PPE, surge planning, pharmacy shortages—as a survival strategy. It’s a way of getting the work done while limiting our droplet exposure. But if we don’t shift out of our efficiency mode of being once we leave work, it’s all too easy to buzz through the good stuff at home. And then the renewal that comes with that good stuff doesn’t happen. Today, we discover what slowing down makes possible: savoring. It turns out that our ability to self-regulate the meaningful experiences in our lives is something we can cultivate. Savoring is a way of taking back control that is linked to well-being. While you walk home, hit pause on the automatic-future-projection machine that is your brain. In just a few minutes, you can retrain it to savor.

We’re all getting super-efficient—with PPE, surge planning, pharmacy shortages—as a survival strategy. It’s a way of getting the work done while limiting our droplet exposure. But if we don’t shift out of our efficiency mode of being once we leave work, it’s all too easy to buzz through the good stuff at home. And then the renewal that comes with that good stuff doesn’t happen. Today, we discover what slowing down makes possible: savoring. It turns out that our ability to self-regulate the meaningful experiences in our lives is something we can cultivate. Savoring is a way of taking back control that is linked to well-being. While you walk home, hit pause on the automatic-future-projection machine that is your brain. In just a few minutes, you can retrain it to savor.

A moment to savor

What do you do with moral outrage? It turns out that the way we approach and hold our moral outrage can drain us, or motivate us. The pitfall, that drains us, is getting stuck in our heads. When what the research shows now is that moral outrage has a lot in common with other experiences of disgust — and disgust starts in the body. Today’s practice takes you from anger, to outrage — and then to action. So it doesn’t gnaw away at the time you need for renewal.

What do you do with moral outrage? It turns out that the way we approach and hold our moral outrage can drain us, or motivate us. The pitfall, that drains us, is getting stuck in our heads. When what the research shows now is that moral outrage has a lot in common with other experiences of disgust — and disgust starts in the body. Today’s practice takes you from anger, to outrage — and then to action. So it doesn’t gnaw away at the time you need for renewal.

Working with outrage & disgust

“By the end of my shift,” this doctor writes, “every patient begins to blend into a single patient…..I can’t even keep track of them anymore.” What do you when you can’t deliver the care that you’ve dedicated your life to giving? The impulse to self-judge is pretty strong in many of us. That does not mean, however, that it constructive coping. There is an alternative, and your sustainability depends on it. 

“By the end of my shift,” this doctor writes, “every patient begins to blend into a single patient…..I can’t even keep track of them anymore.” What do you when you can’t deliver the care that you’ve dedicated your life to giving? The impulse to self-judge is pretty strong in many of us. That does not mean, however, that it constructive coping. There is an alternative, and your sustainability depends on it.

A self-inoculation of compassion

My tendency after getting home from a long day is to plunge into the news—even though it just adds to the fear &amp; uncertainty I’ve been dealing with all day. We all have a limit to this, and when we reach it, we hit a wall. But fear &amp; depletion are not forgone conclusions. Today, we work on replenishing courage—and it doesn’t mean you have to pretend your fear doesn’t exist.  

My tendency after getting home from a long day is to plunge into the news—even though it just adds to the fear &amp; uncertainty I’ve been dealing with all day. We all have a limit to this, and when we reach it, we hit a wall. But fear &amp; depletion are not forgone conclusions. Today, we work on replenishing courage—and it doesn’t mean you have to pretend your fear doesn’t exist.

Replenishing your courage

We are witnessing, and treating, and healing in ways that we didn’t even know we could do. The value of that—especially in the health care system of this moment—is incalculable. But we’ve all been working harder than ever. Chronic stress, over time, changes your brain. So what could you do to sustain and renew yourself tonight? Today you practice giving yourself permission.

We are witnessing, and treating, and healing in ways that we didn’t even know we could do. The value of that—especially in the health care system of this moment—is incalculable. But we’ve all been working harder than ever. Chronic stress, over time, changes your brain. So what could you do to sustain and renew yourself tonight? Today you practice giving yourself permission.

A place of rest in the midst of it all

Yesterday, NPR ran a story about front-line clinicians that described how a nurse would spend his hour commute home ‘haunted’ by all the stuff that he hadn’t been able to do. It’s totally understandable—we just shouldn’t valorize it as a coping strategy. Rehashing the day, in the form of rumination, can (unintentionally) create habitual patterns that make it more likely you’ll be wound up all evening and into the night. But there is a way to disrupt the rehash—and it’s about learning to reallocate your attention. 

Yesterday, NPR ran a story about front-line clinicians that described how a nurse would spend his hour commute home ‘haunted’ by all the stuff that he hadn’t been able to do. It’s totally understandable—we just shouldn’t valorize it as a coping strategy. Rehashing the day, in the form of rumination, can (unintentionally) create habitual patterns that make it more likely you’ll be wound up all evening and into the night. But there is a way to disrupt the rehash—and it’s about learning to reallocate your attention.

A moment of release

Right now, the media is full of stories about loss, we’re confronted with it at work, and then even when we get home we face the loss of small everyday pleasures. This is often called ‘grief work’, a term I’ve never really embraced. Not because dealing with losses isn’t work—it is indeed—but because the focus of work should not be about rehearsing the loss—the work should be about reconstituting what that person, or routine, or ritual brought forth in you. What can you call forth, as you power down for the evening?

Right now, the media is full of stories about loss, we’re confronted with it at work, and then even when we get home we face the loss of small everyday pleasures. This is often called ‘grief work’, a term I’ve never really embraced. Not because dealing with losses isn’t work—it is indeed—but because the focus of work should not be about rehearsing the loss—the work should be about reconstituting what that person, or routine, or ritual brought forth in you. What can you call forth, as you power down for the evening?

Reconstituting our losses

When you can’t look someone in the eye—directly—your encounter isn’t quite the same. I’m not questioning the value of video or PPE right now. But it’s like being covered in bubble wrap when we’re trying to connect. We miss out on what neuroscientists call the ‘retinal eye lock’—what babies experience with their mothers as their very first relational experience—and consequently our brains miss out on a gratifying neurochemical shower of connection, comfort, and safety. Recognizing that, however, we can spend a few minutes on our way home reconnecting with ourselves as a prelude to catching up on what we missed at work. A respite from the bubble wrap.

When you can’t look someone in the eye—directly—your encounter isn’t quite the same. I’m not questioning the value of video or PPE right now. But it’s like being covered in bubble wrap when we’re trying to connect. We miss out on what neuroscientists call the ‘retinal eye lock’—what babies experience with their mothers as their very first relational experience—and consequently our brains miss out on a gratifying neurochemical shower of connection, comfort, and safety. Recognizing that, however, we can spend a few minutes on our way home reconnecting with ourselves as a prelude to catching up on what we missed at work. A respite from the bubble wrap.

Looking to replenish the felt sense

A colleague of mine told me: “I’m coming to the realization that that I’m going to be processing this for a while. In other times, I might have explored what he was processing. But not today. It turns out that pushing yourself to explore—or pushing someone else—actually can have negative consequences. Instead, you can work through the body to power down. And take a moment to text a friend to say that you have their back.

A colleague of mine told me: “I’m coming to the realization that that I’m going to be processing this for a while. In other times, I might have explored what he was processing. But not today. It turns out that pushing yourself to explore—or pushing someone else—actually can have negative consequences. Instead, you can work through the body to power down. And take a moment to text a friend to say that you have their back.

Grateful for you

We keep hearing that we’re at war: the surge is coming, crisis standards, peak engagement. Certainly those war metaphors grabbed everyone’s attention. But now, as we settle into something that is actually much different, it is worth stepping back to examine these metaphors, because they carry a lot of baggage. There’s a down side to being perpetually at war. And you don’t have to live like that.

We keep hearing that we’re at war: the surge is coming, crisis standards, peak engagement. Certainly those war metaphors grabbed everyone’s attention. But now, as we settle into something that is actually much different, it is worth stepping back to examine these metaphors, because they carry a lot of baggage. There’s a down side to being perpetually at war. And you don’t have to live like that.

Calling a truce on war metaphors

Somehow I picked up from my mentors that to acknowledge gratitude was prideful, or maybe dangerous. I was wrong, and new research backs that up. To push those thanks aside is to miss one of most meaningful satisfactions of a life in service to the well-being of our fellow humans. Today, take a moment to feel the gratitude. You’ve earned it.

Somehow I picked up from my mentors that to acknowledge gratitude was prideful, or maybe dangerous. I was wrong, and new research backs that up. To push those thanks aside is to miss one of most meaningful satisfactions of a life in service to the well-being of our fellow humans. Today, take a moment to feel the gratitude. You’ve earned it.

Receiving the gratitude

A friend said yesterday, “It’s like the rug has been pulled out from under us.” Reality check: it’s never been clearer that we are not in control. Turning on your empathy feels kind of risky because it so rapidly leads to helplessness. We can end the day feeling depleted and discouraged. And our brains go into cognitive overdrive. Today, three ways to reaffirm and remind yourself of what your heart still knows, so that you can end your day in a way that jump-starts your renewal.

A friend said yesterday, “It’s like the rug has been pulled out from under us.” Reality check: it’s never been clearer that we are not in control. Turning on your empathy feels kind of risky because it so rapidly leads to helplessness. We can end the day feeling depleted and discouraged. And our brains go into cognitive overdrive. Today, three ways to reaffirm and remind yourself of what your heart still knows, so that you can end your day in a way that jump-starts your renewal.

What the heart knows

How do we clinicians—even as we negotiate the dangers we face ourselves—do justice to those who work alongside us who are returning home to many fewer resources? It is a troubling issue, that one cannot easily put to rest at the end of a busy day. Yet—it is possible to power down for the evening without just ignoring the issue. The practice is called ‘giving and receiving’, and by doing it you can begin to find a path for yourself.

How do we clinicians—even as we negotiate the dangers we face ourselves—do justice to those who work alongside us who are returning home to many fewer resources? It is a troubling issue, that one cannot easily put to rest at the end of a busy day. Yet—it is possible to power down for the evening without just ignoring the issue. The practice is called ‘giving and receiving’, and by doing it you can begin to find a path for yourself.

Responding to inequity

Reporters seem quite interested in the moments when a clinician’s sense of invulnerability is ‘shattered’. The New York Times Daily podcast made much of this today. But I see the whole issue quite differently. You don’t have to protect your so-called ‘invulnerability’—it’s not a shield. And vulnerability is not a black-and-white, yes-or-no matter. The truth of it runs much deeper. You can get a taste of what i mean in today’s podcast. You might even feel stronger, shield aside.

Reporters seem quite interested in the moments when a clinician’s sense of invulnerability is ‘shattered’. The New York Times Daily podcast made much of this today. But I see the whole issue quite differently. You don’t have to protect your so-called ‘invulnerability’—it’s not a shield. And vulnerability is not a black-and-white, yes-or-no matter. The truth of it runs much deeper. You can get a taste of what i mean in today’s podcast. You might even feel stronger, shield aside.

Embracing vulnerability

The best podcasts on investing. For anyone interested in the stories in the investing industry, whether it's an interview with Ray Dalio or Ed Thorp to the writer of The Big Short. This topic includes the most fascinating stories from all the best investors. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

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The best podcast episodes about true crime. For any thrill seeking podcast listeners who just can't get enough of the captivating stories of murderers and criminals. This topic has all the best episodes from many different true crime podcasts.  Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!