So this is a shift change or the start of a shift meditation for healthcare workers.
Might allow your body to come into stillness.
Just focus on what's here right now.
In your body.
Are you getting any messaging from your body?
Related to tension.
Or stress.
Sometimes when we start our shifts or just getting to work.
We have some apprehension about what we might be dealing with.
For that day or that show.
And so just notice.
Where you feel tense in your body.
Might scan your head.
And your face.
Notice if your jaw is tight or your teeth are clenched.
Just try to let that tension go.
By loosening your muscles in your face and your jaw.
And letting your tongue relax in the bottom of your mouth.
Just moving down.
Beneath your head.
Noticing any tension in your neck or your shoulders.
You might gently move your neck from side to side if that feels okay.
You might just intentionally let your shoulders drop.
Feeling into your chest now.
Notice if you're breathing shallow or guarded.
Try to focus on a nice,
Deep inhale.
Holding slightly at the top.
And then letting all the air out.
And a long exhale.
Moving down to your torso area.
Just taking note of anything you might feel here.
See if you can soften.
Or relax,
Maybe in a softened belly.
And then noticing in your arms if there's tension in your arms or your hands.
Maybe you feel.
Pins and needles are tingling.
Throbbing.
Is paying attention to what's there.
In your hip region.
Noticing any kind of tension or tightness here,
Any achiness.
Continuing on down to the legs.
Down to the feet.
And just noticing.
What are you carrying here in your legs?
Going through the body scan is a way to come into unity.
With your body and your mind as one.
This moment of awareness helps us to be present with ourselves and what we're feeling.
Our body will tell us stories.
Sometimes we have tension just from.
A prior shift or having a tough morning.
Maybe it's from other things.
Just trying to let it all go,
Breathing into any discomfort and exhaling ease.
And thinking about your shift to come.
To ask yourself.
What is my intention today?
What am I hoping for?
What is a way that I can stay authentic to myself and the way that I care for and treat others?
Maybe it's peace.
Maybe it's connection that you're hoping for.
Maybe it's just a smooth shift.
We don't have a lot of control over what we do as health care providers.
We can set the intention of what we'd like to see happen and try to guide our behaviors and our attitudes and our perceptions towards those things.
For me,
Feeling good about making a difference for someone,
Connecting with them,
Actively listening to them.
Even if it's something really small,
That's usually my goal.
Peace and connection.
Even in the midst of stress.
Strains of staffing issues.
Unexpected changes in our patients and other people.
Portraying their stress onto us.
We always have a choice.
To stop,
Take a deep breath.
Observe what we're feeling in our body.
And to choose to proceed with kindness and compassion.
Anytime there's a moment of reactivity.
This stop acronym can be used to help us regulate our emotions and avoid the fight or flight,
The limbic system,
The negativity by us and keep our own peace.
And as we end this meditation,
Just know that you do make a difference.
And the lives of other people,
And your work is important.
And we all have different styles of connecting.
We have a craft to the way that we care for people.
And I hope you stand strong in your own style.
Thank you for what you do.
Namaste
