![]() ![]() I think it's very important that as mental health professionals, for example, that we heal ourselves. I think sometimes as healers, so to speak, we can be very hypocritical and we talk the talk but we don't necessarily walk the walk. It has to be tailor made for the individual. ![]() I met a patient yesterday who enjoys doing the shag and swing dancing. Some people enjoy fishing, some people enjoy crocheting. You don't have to write poetry in order to take care of yourself. ![]() While I believe in that philosophy, I also think it is prudent that the provider or the physician or nurse practitioner or PA, whoever it may be serving that patient also takes time to practice what they preach. I believe that it is important to take a holistic approach to patient care. I work with individuals every day who have mental health conditions and substance use disorders due to a lot of different stressors that have gone on in their life, whether it be adverse childhood experiences or this pandemic or other things that are going on. You felt that it helped with your depression once you were diagnosed with it?ĭr. It's been a great experience for me.īerg: That's great to hear. You and I, I know have collaborated on some things with your artwork. I have stuck with that and again, mentioning, it's kind of a rebirth for me in some ways in terms of writing the poetry and it has definitely served as not only as a coping skill and I guess also very therapeutic but it's allowed me to share it with friends and family. That's how I started writing poetry mainly to help cope with the depression that I was experiencing in medical school. I think sometimes it's easy to not do a lot of reflection because we're so busy in our lives. I decided that I needed to explore more of me. Then also playing the piano and the flute. I have a fine arts background in general, in terms of growing up in the dance world with doing tap, ballet and jazz. I ran on the high school and collegiate level track and cross country. I first began writing poetry again, back in medical school when I was diagnosed with clinical depression and I've been in remission now, as it relates to depression for probably over a decade but I needed to find an outlet, running had always been my outlet. As we've mentioned, these dire times that we're living in. Clark: Well, throughout my life, I have found various ways of coping, especially during times of stress. What's was there a specific moment when you realized this was a good coping outlet for you? Or how did that happen?ĭr. You don't hear too often that people write about haikus. I've been writing them probably now for the past year.īerg: I love that. It takes a lot of work because sometimes you can have one extra syllable in there and I'm always trying to sound out words, making sure that I have the right number of syllables but I have come to enjoy writing them. The first line is five syllables, the second line is seven syllables and then the third line is five syllables. I enjoy the practice and just the thinking about the 5-7-5 pattern that makes a haiku. I said, well, let me try writing haikus because I had never written them. I just started trying to increase my versatility, so to speak, as it comes to poetry. I definitely had a lot of content to reflect on. There's so much to write about now as regarding the pandemic and the social and political unrest and racial injustices that we continue to see in our society. I started writing more poetry, I was at a dormant stage maybe as it relates to writing. One of the things that the pandemic has allowed me to do is, I think it's reenergized me in terms of my passion for writing. I have been trying to focus on the silver linings during this pandemic. I have been writing poetry probably since I was in medical school. What drew you to haikus? Where did it all start?ĭr. I appreciate you having me on and it's always a pleasure to reconnect with you during these unprecedented times.īerg: Of course, definitely. Thanks so much for being here with us, Dr. Frank Clark and learning more about his experience writing haikus as a way to cope with burnout. Clark reinforces the use of creative outlets as a means of coping with burnout.īerg: Today I'm talking with Dr. In his conversation with AMA Senior News Writer Sara Berg, Dr. Frank Clark shares his passion for haiku in this episode of Moving Medicine. For me, poetry has been cathartic in a lot of ways and I find it again rejuvenating for my mind, my body and my spirit. A walk in nature/and forests cacophony/a muser’s delight. Clark: I actually enjoy the practice and just the thinking about the 5-7-5 pattern that makes a haiku. Frank Clark, who has found comfort in writing haiku.ĭr. Individual physicians often have their own way of coping, like Dr. Unger: The AMA is committed to making physician burnout a thing of the past by addressing issues that fuel burnout at the system level and supporting physician well-being. ![]()
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