I want to start by doing something very simple,
And that's just asking how you are.
How are you,
Really?
It seems like with the busyness of work and patient visits and documentation and scheduling and home life and add that to the weight of everything else that's happening in the world,
How we actually are tends to get buried and just that general overwhelm of day-to-day life.
It also seems like it's part of the medical and healthcare culture when the caretakers that are so often focused on the needs of other people just may not typically have this question posed of us,
And we may be discouraged from asking ourselves.
And unfortunately,
It seems to be the case that being able to handle it all is baked into the culture of healthcare.
So the idea of struggling or acknowledging fears or failures,
It's not really supported in most healthcare cultures.
So as a result,
We might actually become numb to ourselves as a way to cope with this impossible standard.
I'd like to invite just a few minutes as an opportunity to uncover the layers to get connected to yourself again.
You might find that this isn't so simple.
You might find that there's some pain,
Emotional or physical,
Or something else that's under the surface that there hasn't been time to or attention to acknowledge.
And this is actually not a problem at all because whatever is here is already here.
And let's see if we can experiment with allowing that and just observe what comes up.
First,
I'd like to invite you to get as comfortable as you possibly can,
Whatever that means for you.
And we are trying to balance here a sense of being relaxed and comfortable and also being alert and awake.
You may choose to close your eyes or leave them open and just choose a spot in front of you to gaze at,
Whatever feels most comfortable.
And first,
Just getting a sense of your body sitting here.
What sensations are here?
Good,
Bad,
Neutral.
It could be as simple as just noticing the contact of your seat with the chair or the floor.
It could be noticing a particular part of your body that's calling your attention.
Or maybe there's simply a need here,
Hunger,
Thirst,
Tired.
What emotions are here?
We don't have to go looking for emotions.
We don't have to try to find something to feel if there's nothing here.
We're just noticing what is here.
What comes up when you allow yourself to be quiet and ask yourself,
How am I?
Do you notice any connection to your body with the emotions that you are experiencing?
Do they have a particular sensation to them?
Are they located in a particular part of your body?
And what happens if you allow your attention to be drawn to them?
Do they change?
Is there any movement?
And I'll just leave a couple of minutes here of quiet just to really experience whatever physical and emotional sensations are coming up.
You may notice that your mind bounces off,
Or you may notice that your mind is engaging in criticism or conversation or creating a story around what you're experiencing.
And just see if you can allow the mind to pause,
Let those stories go,
And redirect your attention back to just being,
Back to just those sensations of what you're feeling in your body,
Your heart.
And now shifting attention from whatever physical or emotional sensations are here,
Just imagining that you're checking in with yourself as you would if you were checking with a friend,
A loved one,
Or even a patient.
And just be curious about what you need.
Is there anything that you need?
How are you?
What can I do for you?
Is there anything that you need?
Is there anything that you've been ignoring?
Is there something that needs attention?
Again,
That could be physical.
I'm hungry,
I'm tired,
I have a pain in my back.
Nor it could be emotional.
I'm scared.
I'm angry.
I'm overwhelmed.
And just seeing if we can imagine what you might need to soothe that first allowing it.
We can't do anything with our emotions if we don't first allow them and be curious about them.
But then shifting to taking care of ourselves the best way that we can.
And you might not have the answer to that.
And so it's okay to experiment.
It's okay to not know what you need.
And practice with a willingness to attend to what's needed.
And shifting to the conclusion of this practice,
Taking stock of what you notice during this time,
And seeing if you can bring what it is that's needed to the rest of your day today.
So,
.
