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Get into Gritflowness
MENTAL HEALTH
Dan Cook | Editor-in-Chief
Grit, flow and mindfulness will help you
enter a focused state of awareness.
R
enowned neurosurgeon John Boockvar, MD, strides into an operat-
ing room at Lenox Hill Hospital and greets members of his surgical
team as they gather in a loose circle. "Let's take a moment to be
mindful," says Dr. Boockvar, one of the stars of the Netflix
docuseries Lenox Hill, a compelling look at the everyday lives of
four physicians who work at the storied hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
"Everyone relax and close your eyes," instructs Dr. Boockvar, who radiates a
sense of calm. "Wiggle your toes and roll your shoulders back. Be here in the pres-
ent. Take a deep breath in, hold it at the top, exhale."
Dr. Boockvar pauses in the middle of the now silent room. He's entered flow
state, the heightened awareness needed to perform difficult tasks effortlessly and
with complete focus. It's time to remove a worrisome growth from the patient's
right frontal lobe and Dr. Boockvar is emotionally, physically and mentally pres-
ent. He's ready to cut. "OK, let's roll."
John
Halpern/Onward
Publishing
