Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Uskudar University, met with students at a talk organized by the Young Mekteb-i Tıbbiyeliler club of Health Sciences University. In the program, which saw high participation and focused on ‘Time Management,’ Tarhan drew attention to many topics, from the psychology of procrastination to the skill of managing time, and the place and importance of sleep in time management.
In the program held at Health Sciences University, which attracted significant interest from students, Uskudar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan offered important advice to participants under the heading of “Time Management. ”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Medicine is not just a science, but also an art”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan began his speech with evaluations of his university years; “My first years as a student were in Cerrahpaşa. Comparing those times with today, there are very big differences in terms of opportunities for students today compared to my era, considering the conditions back then. Medicine is not just a science; it is also an art. Art is learned through a master-apprentice relationship. The closer your relationship with professors, the more you learn, even a professor's stitching style. In psychiatry, asking questions, guiding patients, the close relationship with professors is very important in all of these. Our pathology professor at Cerrahpaşa had a saying: ‘Parsley covers the chef's mistake, the iron covers the tailor's mistake, the soil covers the doctor's mistake.’ You can make a one percent error when building something, but a physician, a healthcare professional who makes treatment decisions, must consider zero error.” he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “They give time but do not neglect…”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who answered the question of what the underlying psychological reason for procrastination is and why people procrastinate, stated that there are two invisible emotions behind the feeling of procrastination. He mentioned that these emotions include perfectionism, the associated fear of making mistakes, and a lack of self-confidence as important reasons. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Perfectionists think 'all or nothing' – if something isn't perfect, it shouldn't be at all. In psychiatric practice, this is called dichotomous thinking. Dichotomous thinking is either black or white... These people don't consider grey areas. In fact, their reasons for procrastination are that things didn't turn out the way they wanted. In striving to do better and avoid mistakes, they actually make the mistake of doing nothing. Procrastinators, in their attempt to do better, make the mistake of doing nothing, so they need to confront these issues. There's a saying, 'The devil is in the details.' Actually, the equivalent of this saying is 'success is in the details.' People who think about these details become meticulous, perfectionists. If their goals are clear, a thoughtful person will see a detail on the way to the goal. They see and grasp the detail; they notice details that no one else could find or perceive. That success lies in the detail, but this detail is about taking a position. There's a saying that someone is very lucky, but that's not actually luck. Luck is the point where intelligence and opportunity intersect. If someone acts intelligently and takes a position, an opportunity will present itself. Such people do not procrastinate. They see the details and go towards their goal. Another reason for deficiency and procrastination is a lack of self-confidence. They try to put things off by saying, 'I can't do it, I won't succeed.' For people with low self-confidence, it's necessary to work on self-confidence. People who have goals, perform what we call psychological SWOT analysis, see their strengths and weaknesses, and can proceed with their strategic plans accordingly, do not give up. Not giving up is very important here, being in a combative spirit is very important. People with a combative spirit do not procrastinate. They only grant time but do not neglect.” he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Time is more precious than money”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, drawing attention to the importance of the ability to manage time; “If a person is going to manage a resource, they must first have a purpose. Life, lifespan, is also a resource. Time is also a resource. Our psychological capital is also a resource. Our social capital is also a resource. Resource management works by rules. You will transfer knowledge, reduce output, and grow the resource. By psychological capital, I mean you will be rich in love. If you are generous with love, this will return to you as an investment. Thus, you will be a loved person, but you must give first. Time is also such a resource. In fact, they say ‘time is money,’ but actually, time is more precious than money. If money goes, it comes back, but time does not. The most important capital a person has is their lifespan. We all have a benevolent side and a malevolent side... The malevolent part is greedy, ambitious, insatiable, arrogant, and considers lying normal. And there is a benevolent part! Which one we invest in more is important. The management of our internal psychological resources is the management of our emotional resources. In time management, you will set your goal, see your weaknesses, and look at the threats and opportunities awaiting you. If a crisis arises, you will analyze the threat aspect, and you will rack your brains over how to turn it into an opportunity. You will see the positive and negative but focus on the positive. In Anatolia, we say 'sit and wait for winter,' when in fact we need to prepare ourselves for winter. If we don't do this, we manage time as if in a war. Our brain programs itself, and in time management, we will plan our day and our future correctly. We will have dreams and rules. Living only by rules is very boring. We will have dreams and rules, and we will act in accordance with our time management. People who manage time well make a difference.” he stated.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “A person who manages time well gives sleep its due”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, speaking about the place and importance of sleep in time management; “In time management, sleep, normally physiological sleep, varies between 5-8 hours. This varies from person to person. A person who manages time well gives sleep, work, and time their due. In fact, the term 'free time' has been removed in psychology. Instead of 'free time,' it is called 'leisure time.' Leisure time also has its own dynamic. This is even called the 15 percent rule. For a person to be entrepreneurial, an investor, and innovative, they need to pay attention to the 15 percent rule. If a person has 100 hours for a subject, they should dedicate 15 hours to thinking about what they are doing and thinking about what they are thinking. That is, they should set aside quiet time for themselves. If you have 10 hours, you will dedicate 1.5 hours to your personal thoughts, and if you think about the work you are doing, you can self-criticize, question, and correct some automatic errors. Therefore, the goal for sleep is not less sleep, but correct, quality, and hygienic sleep. 5 hours of quality sleep can be sufficient for most people. Sleep physiology is different. Acting in accordance with it is valuable in time management.” he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “REM sleep repairs our psychological health”
Answering participants' questions, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that REM sleep is very important for brain repair and renewal. Tarhan explained how a routine can be established by utilizing REM sleep. Tarhan; “The beginning of the REM period is 90 minutes. After 90 minutes of deep sleep, the brain cleans fatigue substances and then transitions to REM. When it enters REM, during the REM sleep period, the brain now classifies psychological information from long-term memory to short-term memory. Therefore, a person may wake up frequently, but it's not important if they fall back asleep. The REM period is also when 90% of dreams occur. If a person wakes up during REM, they will definitely recount a dream. During that period, the brain is actively working. It's actively working, but dreams are also seen. The dynamic of those dreams is different… For example, in normal physical reality, fire and gunpowder are not found side by side, but in the brain, they are neighbors, found side by side, and are neighbors in the sleep dynamic. Because two opposites are side by side there, dreams become mixed, so interpreting dreams is important. Interpretation depends on the personality structure. To have a quality REM period, it is necessary to pay attention to sleep hygiene. In people with depression, a person enters REM within 5-10 minutes of falling asleep because their brain needs psychological rest. The psychological dynamic in the brain wants to rest more, and this is even used as a biological indicator of depression. If the REM period is short during the sleep stage, it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for depression. If our body is a state, our brain is like the government; everything is managed from there. All decisions are made from there; timing, planning, and resources are managed from there. Therefore, our brain manages our mind and psychological dynamics during the REM sleep period. REM sleep also repairs our psychological health. Other sleep repairs other areas of the brain. Giving sleep its due and living according to sleep hygiene is important.” he said.
Tarhan also signed his books…
While students as well as academics showed great interest in the talk, Tarhan also signed his books for the participants…
Tarhan also visited the Ruha Şifa Hüsn-ü Hat Exhibition…
After the group photo session, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan visited the “Ruha Şifa Hüsn-ü Hat Exhibition” located in the Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane Complex of Health Sciences University. The psychology-based works in calligraphy art attracted attention.
News-Photo: Eda Nur Keçeci