Overcoming Common Barriers to Wellness

In this video, Ravi Prasad, PhD, a clinical professor and director of behavioral health in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, explores what it means to cultivate wellness amidst the stress and challenges of modern life. Dr. Prasad defines wellness as the attention and care we provide to our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves and offers practical strategies for achieving harmony across these interconnected domains. He emphasizes that wellness is not a destination but a continuous process, likening it to the ongoing care needed to tend a garden. With an emphasis on self-awareness and coping strategies, Dr. Prasad highlights the tools we can use to navigate stress and improve our overall well-being.

Quick insights

• Defining wellness: Dr. Prasad defines wellness as the care we give to our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. It is a dynamic process that requires ongoing attention, not a final goal or state to achieve.
• The interconnected nature of wellness: these three domains—physical, emotional, and spiritual—are deeply intertwined. Disruption in one area can impact the others, and wellness requires creating harmony among these aspects of our lives.
• Common threats to wellness: Dr. Prasad identifies five major threats that often disrupt our sense of balance—family, work, climate change, politics, and social media. Each of these stressors can contribute to emotional distress and compromise our well-being.
• Tools for cultivating wellness: to help manage these stressors, Dr. Prasad introduces three evidence-based coping strategies:
  1. Relaxation training: focused breathing techniques help activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and physical tension.
  2. Cognitive behavioral interventions: changing how we interpret stressful events can alter our emotional and physiological responses, leading to healthier outcomes.
  3. Mindfulness practices: staying present in the moment and observing thoughts and emotions without attachment can reduce anxiety and improve emotional regulation.

Featured expert: Ravi Prasad, PhD

Ravi Prasad, PhD, is a psychologist by training and currently Clinical Professor and Director of Behavioral Health in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. His clinical work focuses primarily on evaluation and treatment of individuals suffering from acute and chronic pain conditions. He is actively engaged in leadership activities at regional and national levels through which he has been involved with interprofessional core competency, curriculum, and program development; lobbying efforts to change policies related to psychological care; and translation of research innovations into clinical practice. Outside the realm of pain, he has an avid interest in clinician wellness and has led efforts to implement associated initiatives in healthcare settings.

00:00 – Introduction

Dr. Ravi Prasad introduces the topic of cultivating wellness during challenging times. He prompts viewers to reflect on the definition of wellness, which he defines as the comprehensive attention and care given to our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves, emphasizing their interconnected nature.

01:30 – What factors influence our wellness?

A discussion on the diverse factors influencing wellness, including nutrition, financial stability, family and romantic relationships, exercise, stress levels, and work activities. Dr. Prasad stresses the importance of recognizing these multidirectional impacts and the necessity of cultivating tools to navigate stressful environments and build resilience.

05:45 – Can we achieve wellness?

Dr. Prasad challenges the notion of wellness as a destination, presenting it instead as a dynamic process similar to tending a garden. He emphasizes that while perfection is unattainable, the goal is to continually support one’s health and find personal meaning in wellness practices.

08:40 – The barriers to wellness: five threats

An exploration of the five most common barriers to wellness as identified by Dr. Prasad: challenges within the family, workplace stressors, climate change, political strife, and the negative effects of social media.

09:20 – Exploring family dynamics and wellness

Discusses how changes in family life, such as extended life expectancy, shifting roles of family members, and the impact of divorce rates, influence wellness. This segment highlights the stress caused by these dynamics and their effects on personal leisure and well-being.

12:50 – Work environments and barriers to wellness

A detailed look at how changing work environments, increased job responsibilities, career evolution, and interpersonal conflicts in the workplace impact wellness. Dr. Prasad also touches on the challenges of reaching career plateaus and the shift to remote work.

16:25 – Climate change, politics, social media: stress and wellness

This segment addresses how recent trends in climate change, political polarization, and the pervasive influence of social media contribute to stress and impact wellness. Dr. Prasad discusses the implications of insurance costs, threats to resources like water and food, and how misinformation online exacerbates these issues.

22:15 – Perceived inescapability and shifting the narrative

Dr. Prasad talks about the feeling of inescapability that arises from these threats and how we can shift our narrative to feel less vulnerable and more empowered by focusing on how we can influence the impact of these threats on our well-being.

23:30 – How to cultivate wellness in challenging times

Outlines three coping strategies grounded in science: Relaxation Training, to navigate stress through nervous system regulation; cognitive processing, to better manage our interpretations of situations; and cognitive-behavioral interventions, aimed at targeting and modifying maladaptive thought processes for healthier outcomes.

40:00 – Using relaxation training and cognitive behavioral intervention to address threats to wellness

Demonstrates practical applications of the coping strategies discussed, including mindfulness practices and their effects on reducing stress, improving depression symptoms, and enhancing overall quality of life.

52:36 – Conclusion

Dr. Prasad concludes by revisiting the question of wellness, urging viewers to consider which factors positively or negatively influence their wellness and to reflect on the usefulness of the tools and strategies presented during the lecture.