CONNECT: November 14, 2014

When the lightbulb goes on....

Spoiler Summary:  We each have an amazing ability to help the other improve health and it can happen in an instant....all it takes is CONNECT.

Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to explain something to someone that they just don't seem to get?  No matter how hard you try and how many times you rephrase, the message just doesn't seem to get through.  It's a frustrating scenario. In many ways, that's what the idea of prevention has been for a very long time in the healthcare industry.  Everyone seems to know and understand that injury, illness and disease are some of the greatest burdens on the quality of life that Americans face AND most everyone agrees with the notion of "getting ahead" of these problems, but as a society we still put a very small percentage of our resources toward preventing and reserving a much larger percentage for treatment after the damage is done.  

Every once in awhile though, when the combination is just right, you find yourself talking through something and the bulb goes on.  The person's face lights up with the look of "I GET IT!" and the great feeling of validation that comes with making this connection fills you. Yesterday I was lucky enough to have such a moment.  I was attending a professional conference of my peers where I was asked to present some ideas and findings related to prevention - a topic that is of course very near to my heart.  I was asked to review some of the research that says it's both doable, and worth the effort; to show that people really can get themselves healthy and when they decide it's worth the effort, they do.  In essence, I was asked to talk to a room of my peers about the same things I talk about every day....so no problem right?

Having given similar presentations in the past (and getting more than a few blank stares) I was not sure the message would make it through. So, I put my "never-say-die" best foot forward and got up and did my thing.......and then it happened.  Right at the point when most folks check-out by telling themselves that it all sounds good "but could never work in my world" (usually any easy way of saying "I'm just not ready to hear this") something else happened.  A look of complete understanding washed over some of the faces in the crowd.....heads began to nod and I could see the wheels beginning to turn.  People were starting to work it out in their heads.....they were starting to see the value of identifying risk factors and getting at them BEFORE they were injuries or disease.  Instant connect.  I even had a few folks that I really respect come up and congratulate me on giving a message that "we all need to hear and do better with".  Lightbulbs.

But beyond the obvious - more healthcare providers (perhaps) starting to wrestle with how best to weave a message of prevention into their work - what does this have to do with risk reduction?  What do connections like this have to do with safety?  Surprisingly, a bunch.  If you were to ask Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, PhD from University of North Carolina who has done significant research in the area, she might cite a stack of research (some her own) that shows exactly how powerful it can be.  For example, when people feel positive emotions such as validation by others their brain's ability to focus changes, almost like looking through a wider lens......they are literally more aware of what is going on around them and can often process it faster and in more creative ways......sounds a lot like "situational awareness" doesn't it?  In addition, findings show that during emotionally positive interchanges the nervous system relaxes and things normally associated with being stressed (blood pressure, altered blood sugar, immune system suppression, etc) return to a more normal setting.....almost as if to hit a reset button.  Last, she might even say that making a "connection," which is in the same emotional family as "love," can actually improve cardiovascular health and point you HERE to a study she did showing how meditating on "goodwill toward others" actually changed how the heart functioned in participants.

Will this group of peers actually try to learn more and start using prevention tactics for their clients and the greater good?  I don't know.  Will they start pushing ideas about moving more or fueling better to their clients?  I can't say.  I do however know....for a brief moment in time - they "got" it.....a connection that had an instant impact on my health state at the time. Even better? It's something ANYONE (whether in a random professional meeting or as frequently as a staff meeting or pre-job brief) can pay-forward if we use the next time we find ourselves in a position to listen intently.....to truly CONNECT.  

Have a great week,

Mike E.