We’re Not There Yet…

Mental health is playing an increasingly important role in veterinary medicine.

And that’s a good thing.

But we still have a long way to go.

Emotions are a key factor in mental health.

Anyone who has reflected on this knows:

Their impact is hard to predict.

Even the literature tells us this:

🔷 They’re fleeting, but less so than you might think.

↪ Psychologically, we often recover within minutes (Fredrickson et al., 1998).

↪ However, stressful days can leave a longer-lasting cardiovascular effect (Pieper et al., 2005).

🔶 Not everyone experiences them the same way.

↪ In fact, older people feel negative emotions for a shorter duration than younger people (Charles et al., 2016).

↪ Extraverts, on the other hand, experience them for a shorter time than introverts (Verduyn et al., 2013).

🔷 Different emotions last for different amounts of time.

↪ Irritation, relief, shame, and even fear tend to be brief.

…but which emotion lasts the longest?

↪ 🌨 Sadness 😞

(Verduyn & Lavrijsen, 2015)

So, if a colleague is feeling down or expresses sadness, spoken or unspoken:

➡ Take the time to be there for them:

↪ A sentence or two can be enough.

➡ Don’t give advice:

↪ Instead, ask: *What can I do to support you with this?*

➡ Check in throughout the day:

↪ A small gesture can have a big impact.

And my final invitation to you is:

Do the same for yourself.

Why did I choose this particular photo, you might wonder?

I’ll share that with you tomorrow.

For now, I wish you a day full of positive emotions 😊

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References:

Fredrickson et al., 1998

[https://lnkd.in/eAQRcvbS](https://lnkd.in/eAQRcvbS)

Charles et al., 2016

[https://lnkd.in/eSPb__Yr](https://lnkd.in/eSPb__Yr)

Verduyn et al., 2013

[https://lnkd.in/edD-fZPg](https://lnkd.in/edD-fZPg)

Verduyn & Lavrijsen, 2015

[https://lnkd.in/ezemiiTr](https://lnkd.in/ezemiiTr)

Photo credit:

[www.boysgetsadtoo.com](http://www.boysgetsadtoo.com)