A Conversation Continued…
We are all patients, and we all have stories from our experiences with healthcare. I am amazed as I walk down a street in Brooklyn, NY at how many times I hear the word healthcare. It means so many different things to each of us, depending on our education, experiences and what we’ve heard or overheard. We also saw from our last conversation the beginnings of a brainstorm on ‘all those in healthcare’ (page 4 in the last blog post) – and yes in that, in yellow is the patient – you and me!
First and foremost I take it as my job to take ‘care’ of my own ‘health’. I am guilty of feeling intimidated by the doctor’s office and giving my decision making power and rational thought over to those who have studied much more or experienced much ‘more’. If only I could remember to replace the word ‘more’ with ‘different’ and do a little of my own research in this age where information is often readily available, perhaps then I will be better off? How can I better manage my own health? What does health mean to me? What might help me better understand my own limitations and make better decisions about what I eat, when and how hard I exercise, when I go to bed and how much quality sleep I get, how to handle my anxiety over the latest stressful situation, taking time to decompress and revitalize (and getting unplugged!), nurturing my social and professional relationships, managing my current environment, and in general being the keeper of my own well being. It’s no easy task, to manage and balance all of these variables, but we do it everyday. How I treat my body, soul and spirit manifests into my health. I hope I can continue to be compassionate, with myself and those around me and continue to listen and learn from my emotions and my body as my environment continues to change.
That is my take on the foundation of the conversation that involves ixda Northern NJ members, healthcare professionals, patients, sketchnoters and whoever else would like to join the conversation. Each of us is motivated by a personal curiosity and together we’ve set out to explore ideas for collaboration. As our process of discovery unfolds, we speak many tangents, however there are some definite big ideas with potential among these tangents. It is yet to be seen what will come of each….
page 1
My favorite big ideas thus far include that which is pictured on page 2, the communication gap. At the time we were referring to a vocabulary that might be used to explain a particular health situation, but the figure standing on either side could be a metaphor for soooo many conversations we have in today’s world. I hope to create a few renditions of this visual with varying contexts. Perhaps someday it will become a comic!
page 2 - an image worthy of many renditions - coming soon!
page 3
page 4
Another big idea I love is the idea that “Emotions are ALWAYS present!” This is true in life and especially when it comes to our health. Learning our own emotions is important, especially when it comes to our health. It’s not always easy to figure out which emotions to simply listen to, which to question, and which to actually act on. This is one of the many ‘human’ challenges.
page 5
A few other ideas worth mentioning were captured on page 6. The idea that if I make a list of certain people and keep ‘these people’ in mind, I will make better (health) decisions. This will not have a one size fits all answer – just not going to happen. AND how would it effect someone if they were asked about their health and well being story by a sketchnoter who would capture their story and present them with color in drawings and writing that is one rendition of their story? WHOA! I LOVE this concept! Interested? Contact me and we can explore the idea together!
page 6
Thanks so much to Bruce Esrig for facilitating the conversation with ixda Northern NJ.
And HUGE THANKS to Forty Weight Cafe at Sweetwolf’s in Brooklyn for the space to spend some time and write this blog post!
