Eyeworld Daily News

16 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | MAY 7, 2023 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS in and feel safe, seen, secure, and you give them the utmost in care. How can you do that when you're exhausted?" ASOA heard these statistics, she said, and they've been listening to you. That's why she and other speak- ers were focusing on this topic. While our home lives and careers are not likely to demand less of us, the key is "you management," and learning to control the controlla- ble, Ms. Carlson said. Stress is the stories that we attach to feelings and thoughts that we have in those mo- ments. When you decide something is stressful, your body kicks in. And when your body sends you a signal, pause, take a break, and ask your- self: 1) What am I feeling and what triggered this emotion? 2) Is any element of this trigger in my control? If any element is in your control and if you take control, even a small step, your body realizes that you're doing something about it and thus needs to stress about it less, Ms. Carlson explained. A few examples of things we can control are our management of our expectations, taking care of ourselves (just 10 minutes of vigorous walking reduces stress), our time (putting some of your biggest priorities on your calendar rather than a larger to-do list where they'll likely not get done), and thinking about whether something needs to be perfect or if good is good enough. "We talked about how to do less but what about less perfectly?" Ms. Carlson asked. She said this is a struggle for many of us but perfec- tionism not only stresses ourselves but it can also stress out those who surround us. When something is deemed out of our control, the only solution is to let it go, Ms. Carlson said. Does struggling … these are the people you can reach out to help you." "I'm humbled to be standing in front of each of you this morning," she continued, sharing how she start- ed her career in eyecare practices more than 40 years ago, beginning as a medical assistant and working her way up. Ms. Barkey said that while most in the room didn't grow up dreaming of becoming the leader of an eyecare organization, we fell into this amaz- ing profession, and "every single day, we have the opportunity to make a difference in everyone around us and their day. That's incredible." Later, Ms. Barkey introduced the Opening General Session Key- note Speaker, Colette Carlson, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, who spoke on the topic of "You Management." "Ever since I got booked, you've been on my mind. So much so that since we inked the paperwork, I had a chalazion, retinal tear, and blepha- ritis. … That's how much you've been on my mind," she said to everyone's laughter. She asked the audience to think about where their exhaustion and stress get in the way of them showing up as the best versions of themselves for the people they serve, support, lead, and even love. Those times when you're so tired, you've forgotten to pause and take a breath, and the next thing you know you're reacting instead of responding. And you're not alone. Ms. Carlson said that 48% of employees report they are exhausted, 78% say stress negatively impacts their work perfor- mance, and 71% say stress at work negatively impinges their home life. "When you think about it, here you are, responsible for creating this beautiful environment where patients are your guests. They come T he ASOA Annual Meeting held its Opening General Session, which featured a mo- tivational speech from ASOA 2023–24 President Patti Barkey, COE, an organization update from ASOA Executive Director Laureen Row- land, presentation of awards, and a keynote from Colette Carlson, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Ms. Rowland led the session, describing new additions to the "out- standing program" put together by ASOA that will provide "the educa- tion critical to your practice." "2023 is my 12th ASOA Annual Meeting, and I could not be prouder of the society, its mission, members, and industry partners," she said, crediting each of these groups with the success of the organization. "Have there been challenges? Yes," Ms. Rowland said later. "Times when ASOA has had to adapt and pivot? Of course. But our mem- bership numbers are strong and continue to grow." Ms. Rowland said that ASOA has much more to accomplish and will continue to do so with the support of its members and industry partners. She then introduced Ms. Barkey as the new president of the society. Before talking about her back- ground and perspectives for the society, Ms. Barkey presented awards to Thomas Brown, JD, COE, past president of ASOA, and the AE Editor's Choice Awards to Maureen Waddle, MBA, for her article "Create a Strong Retention Strategy" and Ian Maltzman, MHSA, COE, for his arti- cle "Making the Leap from Manager to Administrator." Ms. Barkey, addressing the audi- ence, said the ASOA Annual Meeting is "your chance to make friendships, to make lifetime colleague connec- tions so when you feel like you're ASOA Opening General Session: recognitions, awards, and keynote on 'you management'

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