Dr. Bagwell: ‘Focus on Physical, Emotional, Spiritual Health’

Dr. Brianne Bagwell, a family medicine doctor with the Family Practice Center of Salem, is hanging tough. You can learn more about her and the practice at its website.

What are some ways the COVID-19 outbreak has changed your work life?

As a family doctor, I now spend a large part of my day educating and reassuring patients. Because I do inpatient and outpatient medicine, and family members are no longer allowed to visit in the hospital, I try to maintain communication with families regarding the patients’ conditions. In addition, everyone has a lot of questions regarding COVID-19, so we get a lot of phone calls about prevention, medications, etc.  Our office offers telemedicine, which has been great because we can address these questions, in addition to going over patients’ lab or test results, without them leaving their homes.

How about your personal life?

I have four kids at home who are usually involved in several extracurricular activities on a daily basis. Because most of these have been canceled, I have been able to spend more time with them.  Some of that time is spent working on school work, but thankfully I have family who is able to watch the kids while I am at work and help with the “home schooling.”  This leaves more time to watch my three girls put on Disney princess dance shows, build obstacle courses, bake too many cookies, cakes and pies and enjoy watching the youngest learn new things every day.  We miss seeing all of our friends, though, and my kids were devastated when schools were closed for the rest of the year.

What steps are you taking to hang tough?

I am obviously taking a lot of precautions to avoid getting sick or bringing anything home to my family.  But the biggest thing for me is not letting this situation cause undue stress to me or my family.  It is possible to be cautious while not letting fear overwhelm us.  There will always be viruses and other possible risks to our health out there and we cannot live in fear.  Deuteronomy 31:16 says, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid…for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.” So I try to enjoy time with my family and focus on God’s word for strength during this time.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love?

One thing I always tell my patients and family is to stay physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy.  That doesn’t change during a pandemic, in fact, it is more important.  To reduce risk of complications of infection, prevent depression and anxiety and to improve health in many other areas – we cannot disregard the normal things we would do to stay healthy.  Exercising, enjoying the outdoors, calling friends to catch up and praying keep me motivated and healthy in all of these areas.  We need to continue to find time to do enjoyable activities – especially during this season.