Living Well - Summer 2015 - Beaufort - (Page 5)

LEARN TO SAY NO Most every other weekend, Kurt Gambla, DO, slips into his running shoes, pops in his earbuds and hits the road for a 26-mile run. "It clears the cobwebs," says Beaufort Memorial's chief medical oﬃcer. "By the time I get back home ﬁve hours later, my mind is a clean slate. It's like shaking an Etch-a-Sketch." But you don't have to run a marathon to stay mentally healthy, Gambla says. Just set your priorities. "Most of the pressure we have in our lives we put on ourselves," says the internist. "Take control of your schedule and learn to say no. You don't have to rationalize it. No is a complete sentence." Bad lifestyle choices also can contribute to an unhealthy state of mind. Too much alcohol or caﬀeine and not enough sleep and exercise can leave you feeling run down and weary. "High-fat and high-carb diets zap energy," says Gambla, who has been a practicing vegan for the last ﬁve years. "If you start eating right, your body will naturally start craving things that are good for you." BLOWING OFF STEAM IN THE KITCHEN Despite having an extraordinarily busy work schedule, pulmonologist and critical care specialist Peter Manos, MD, doesn't mind ﬁxing dinner for his family (on the occasional night he gets home in time). "Cooking is one of my outlets," Manos says. "When time allows, I enjoy coming home and cooking for my family." His strong Christian faith also helps him maintain a positive attitude. "I've been very blessed," says the father of three. "My job is stressful, but I love what I do. And I can walk out of the hospital and go home to my family." Throughout his career, Manos has relied on his wife and children to help keep him grounded. He enjoys family activities like the occasional cook-oﬀ with his teenage son. "It's a silly family thing," he says, "but it means a lot to me." BY THE NUMBERS 9 Percent of American adults suﬀering from depression GET HELP Contact Your Local NAMI The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) helps individuals and families aﬀected by mental illness. Visit namibeaufortcounty. org or call 843-681-2200 to learn more about the Beaufort County aﬃliate and the community programs it oﬀers. 32 GO FISH Average age for a person to be diagnosed with depression 60 Percent of illnesses and diseases caused by stress 33 Percent of people who feel they are living with extreme stress Working with cancer patients at the Women's Imaging Center can be emotionally draining for Beaufort Memorial Breast Nurse Navigator Amy Hane. "You have to keep an element of humor in your day," says Hane, a registered nurse with more than 10 years' experience. "It's humor that only someone else in the ﬁeld would understand." But sometimes, even that's not enough. Talking with patients about their diagnosis and the battle they will face can beat you down. "By the end of the day, I'm ready to go to the gym and sweat it out," Hane says. "When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, those natural chemicals that make you feel good." On particularly bad days, she goes ﬁshing oﬀ a local dock. "It's a great stress reliever," Hane says. "It doesn't matter if I catch anything. It's so quiet, I can just let go and let nature recharge me." SUMME R 2015 5 http://www.namibeaufortcounty.org

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Living Well - Summer 2015 - Beaufort