He went on to describe his first year of when at times "I might get called to see three people at once: Mr. A with shortness of breath, Mrs. B with chest pain, and Mr. C with leg pain. Rather than getting increasingly stressed, I let go of the thought 'I'm overwhelmed' and focused my attention on taking care of one person at a time. I might ask Dr. Y to see Mr. A; then I would see Mrs. B, and then Mr. C. Alternatively, I might quickly check one patient to see that he was stable, then go examine the next patient, and then return to the first. The point is to do what is next and focus on one thing at a time."
He likened mindfulness to a basketball player being "in the zone," or being in the moment. "Instead of thinking, 'I don't want to do all of this dictation at the end of the day; what a pain,' let go of that thought," he advised. "Dictate one word at a time with the energy of an actor on stage. Get into what you're doing at the moment. That's mindfulness."
Diaphragmatic breathing, reframing, and mindfulness "are skills that can be learned, just like the skill of riding a bike," Dr. Winner offered.
"Once you get the hang of it, it's something that you can have the rest of your life. The first step is to notice your thoughts and not necessarily believe all of them. That way you can let them go, reframe them, or dispute them if they're irrational," he added.
He underscored the importance of embracing life's present moments instead of fretting about yesterday or tomorrow. "Unfortunately, a lot of people try to rush through life as opposed to enjoying each of the moments," Dr. Winner said.
"When you start thinking about things that aren't going right, take a moment to list the things that you're grateful for, including your family, your friends, and having a job where you have the opportunity to help people and think about science," he added.
Dr. Jay Winner, pictured with his book, began teaching a stress-management class after seeing patients under stress. Courtesy Dr. Jay Winner