Post by Admin on Dec 23, 2021 17:47:21 GMT
Dear Colleagues,
As we celebrate the holidays and near the end of 2021, I want to express my joy in being a part of this organization and gratitude for our CSRI board and for our members. Despite not being able to gather much still, we have had some fun being creative with online CEUs and continue to foster new initiatives within the society including a new online message board, website revamp, and the social and legislative committees. I hope this time of year finds you well in practice and also with a little time off to spend with family, friends, and loved ones.
In reflection of this past year and still very much in the midst of this pandemic, we have much to be thankful for in this profession and much we have learned. We continue to navigate a difficult time in healthcare when our patients are in need of chiropractic more than ever, as many have put off care or are sorting out a new wellness routine. It’s a time of year for joy for sure, but can also be a hard time for many. And as we see in practice, many present with emotional and physical pain more so this time of year. We all have those patients returning with the same pain that they present with the same time each year.
I would like to share some further reflection on the topic of pain around the holidays, particularly on how we view and treat it in our offices.
The Inherent Value of Pain During Holidays
This is supposed to be a time for joy and celebration, but for a lot of our patients, many in chronic pain, it can be difficult as emotional pain can manifest physically. As a practitioner I’m always humbled at holiday time to realize the inherent value of pain or feeling broken and see it as an opportunity for healing. During the pandemic, we have seen a rise in mental illness, high anxiety and depression, folks putting off care, and the development of chronic pain. The holidays in general can up the presence of pain and grief; add in a pandemic, and we are seeing a harder time for many.
What do we do?
We start by making it more culturally acceptable to experience and feel pain at this time of year, whether it be physical pain, grief, loneliness, or stress. For example, it’s great to play cheerful holiday music in our offices, but maybe mix it up with some music that might speak more to patients who might not be feeling the cheery stuff. I highly recommend Sting’s album If on a Winter’s Night for example. Maybe instead of trying to “cheer up” a patient, we take an extra moment to simply sit with them and listen to how they’re doing or acknowledge their difficulties as we work on them. Just simply being more present sometimes with those we are trying to heal physically can allow more space for their emotional healing as well. Finally, work with intention. Entering a treatment room and being attune to how the patient is feeling this time of year, versus thinking about how much shopping you have left, will change the way you treat them from the moment you enter the treatment room. Be intentional, be mindful, and allow space for all feelings this time of year.
It’s important to change culturally to allow for both the holiday cheer as well as the enhanced feeling of grief or loneliness. If we can allow the space for both, we can create space for healing. We start in our offices.
To comment on this topic of discussion, please respond below.
Looking Ahead to 2022…
In 2022, we look toward getting our Social and Legislative committees together to plan for the year. Please contact Erika Bruno, DC for the social committee (chirolily178@gmail.com) and Tom Morison, DC for the legislative committee (drmorison@gmail.com) if you’d like to get involved. We hope to be able to gather if appropriate for a staff appreciation dinner, a general meeting, and mini golf outing in the Spring. Stay tuned!
Please continue to communicate with the board as to how we can best support you and your practice at this time. I want to wish everyone a healthy and peaceful holiday and new year.
My best,
Kristin Kolesar Fabris, DC
As we celebrate the holidays and near the end of 2021, I want to express my joy in being a part of this organization and gratitude for our CSRI board and for our members. Despite not being able to gather much still, we have had some fun being creative with online CEUs and continue to foster new initiatives within the society including a new online message board, website revamp, and the social and legislative committees. I hope this time of year finds you well in practice and also with a little time off to spend with family, friends, and loved ones.
In reflection of this past year and still very much in the midst of this pandemic, we have much to be thankful for in this profession and much we have learned. We continue to navigate a difficult time in healthcare when our patients are in need of chiropractic more than ever, as many have put off care or are sorting out a new wellness routine. It’s a time of year for joy for sure, but can also be a hard time for many. And as we see in practice, many present with emotional and physical pain more so this time of year. We all have those patients returning with the same pain that they present with the same time each year.
I would like to share some further reflection on the topic of pain around the holidays, particularly on how we view and treat it in our offices.
The Inherent Value of Pain During Holidays
This is supposed to be a time for joy and celebration, but for a lot of our patients, many in chronic pain, it can be difficult as emotional pain can manifest physically. As a practitioner I’m always humbled at holiday time to realize the inherent value of pain or feeling broken and see it as an opportunity for healing. During the pandemic, we have seen a rise in mental illness, high anxiety and depression, folks putting off care, and the development of chronic pain. The holidays in general can up the presence of pain and grief; add in a pandemic, and we are seeing a harder time for many.
What do we do?
We start by making it more culturally acceptable to experience and feel pain at this time of year, whether it be physical pain, grief, loneliness, or stress. For example, it’s great to play cheerful holiday music in our offices, but maybe mix it up with some music that might speak more to patients who might not be feeling the cheery stuff. I highly recommend Sting’s album If on a Winter’s Night for example. Maybe instead of trying to “cheer up” a patient, we take an extra moment to simply sit with them and listen to how they’re doing or acknowledge their difficulties as we work on them. Just simply being more present sometimes with those we are trying to heal physically can allow more space for their emotional healing as well. Finally, work with intention. Entering a treatment room and being attune to how the patient is feeling this time of year, versus thinking about how much shopping you have left, will change the way you treat them from the moment you enter the treatment room. Be intentional, be mindful, and allow space for all feelings this time of year.
It’s important to change culturally to allow for both the holiday cheer as well as the enhanced feeling of grief or loneliness. If we can allow the space for both, we can create space for healing. We start in our offices.
To comment on this topic of discussion, please respond below.
Looking Ahead to 2022…
In 2022, we look toward getting our Social and Legislative committees together to plan for the year. Please contact Erika Bruno, DC for the social committee (chirolily178@gmail.com) and Tom Morison, DC for the legislative committee (drmorison@gmail.com) if you’d like to get involved. We hope to be able to gather if appropriate for a staff appreciation dinner, a general meeting, and mini golf outing in the Spring. Stay tuned!
Please continue to communicate with the board as to how we can best support you and your practice at this time. I want to wish everyone a healthy and peaceful holiday and new year.
My best,
Kristin Kolesar Fabris, DC