If you’re getting sufficient sleep but still feeling mentally burnt out, at a loss for creativity, or frequently distracted, the solution isn’t necessarily quitting your job or taking a vacation—it’s understanding what types of rest you really need and how to get them most effectively.
In this webinar co-hosted by the National Association of Science Writers and the Association of Health Care Journalists, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, an internal medicine physician, will talk about the seven types of rest—from physical and sensory to creative and social—and how health and science communicators can recharge in ways that support their craft without sacrificing other aspects of their lives.
The session, moderated by NASW’s Joy Drohan and AHCJ’s Anna Medaris, will include plenty of time for Q&A with Dr. Dalton-Smith, author of “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity.”
Attendees are invited to look over or take Dr. Dalton-Smith’s free “Rest Quiz” beforehand, an option that includes submitting contact information for Dr. Dalton-Smith’s mailing list.
Registration is free and open to all interested professionals and students. The webinar recording will be made available to NASW members.
A reminder that per NASW’s Code of Conduct attendees must use their name as their Zoom display name in order to be admitted. Please review the code for additional expected behaviors.
Anna Medaris, AHCJ Freelance Health Beat Leader and Independent journalist (Moderator)
Anna Medaris is a freelance health and lifestyle journalist with 15 years of experience writing features, narratives, explainers, and news hits for publications including the Washington Post, Women’s Health, Vox, Cosmopolitan, US New & World Report, Everyday Health, AARP, Monitor on Psychology, among others. She left her last full-time role as health correspondent for Business Insider to go freelance full time in June 2023. Anna is passionate about, and skilled in, telling sensitive human-interest stories, critiquing quirky cultural trends, and answering questions you didn’t know you had. She’s appeared on the “TODAY Show,” “Good Morning America,” Hulu’s “Age of Influence,” and many podcasts and local TV and radio stations. Anna also serves as AHCJ’s New York City chapter lead and as a writing coach through the New York Writing Room. She graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan in 2009 and later earned her master’s in interactive journalism from American University. She’s an avid swimmer who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their basset rescue, Lou Longbody.
Joy Drohan, Independent Science Writer and Editor (Moderator)
Joy is an independent environmental science writer and editor with three decades of experience in translating complex environmental topics into clear, compelling narratives. She has authored or edited a wide range of scientific and popular materials, including books, peer-reviewed journal articles, grant proposals, reports, web content, magazine articles, and educational curricula. Her experience includes water quality, watershed management, PFAS, microplastics, hydrogeology, sea-level rise, wildfire ecology, natural gas development, waste management, and risk communication. Her clients reflect the breadth and depth of her expertise. She has worked with leading universities (Penn State, North Carolina State University, University of Maryland), national and state environmental agencies (National Park Service, US Department of Agriculture, US Fish and Wildlife Service), publishers (W. W. Norton & Co., Island Press, Santa Fe Institute Press), scientific and nonprofit organizations (Interstate Technology Regulatory Council, American Society for Enology and Viticulture, The Conservation Fund), and private companies.
Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D., Internal medicine physician, speaker and author
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and award-winning author. She is an international well-being thought-leader featured in numerous media outlets, including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, INC, CNN Health, and TED.com. She is the author of numerous books, including her bestseller “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity,” which includes insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Her newest book is “Being Fully Known: The Joyful Satisfaction of Beholding, Becoming, and Belonging.” More than 250,000 people have discovered their personal rest deficits using her free assessment at RestQuiz.com. Learn more about Dr. Saundra at DrDaltonSmith.com.
This event is not intended to be a substitute for therapy. We encourage participants to use the resources below to explore therapy or other forms of professional help as needed. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or others, please contact a doctor immediately and/or contact: 988lifeline.org or dial or text 988 (Available in 240 languages within the United States)
Additional resources for mental health support, many of which are specific to media, can be found at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. This re-cap of the October 2020 ScienceWriters session “Taking care of yourself” has some tips and links to additional resources, as well.