Managing Daily Stresses in the Clinic, Recognizing the Energy Shifts

No one wants to have a crappy day.  No one asks for bad stuff to happen.  We can’t control how others around us act or the situations life throws at us.  We can however, control how we respond to it all and how we want to feel.

One evening recently, to create some space and time for that love and connection I turned off my phone while out with my Mom.  We had an amazing day.  I went to bed happy that night.  I kept my phone off and went to bed.  Of course, I did.  That was the night apparently, I was needed!

My new routine is to wake up just a little earlier than I use to, to see the beautiful day at peace and to meditate.  As I prepared the next morning to do just that, I turned on my phone again, I had all these missed calls and messages.  One of my staff members had a pet crisis and they were eager for my attention.  I skipped my peaceful morning routine and rushed into work to find said employee outside under a tree with her husband and their sweet cat, Frodo.  It was time to euthanize Frodo.  His medical issues don’t matter, but what did was that I was able to provide an amazing experience for all of them.

Once it was all over, I came back inside to find my staff visibly shaken and upset.  They had pulled together to surround their fellow employee and Frodo with their utmost love.  They had arranged for another employee to come for relief. They called the crematorium for arrangements and personally made the clay paw print.  They did what they do best, help and be compassionate.  But as the day was supposed to ramp up for “routine” appointments I could feel us all in a fog.  So, I called a time out and a do over, just like an 8-year-old would when they felt they were robbed of something they wanted but it went totally hay wire.  I said, “This isn’t how I want to feel the rest of the day, I am going outside for five minutes and doing that over, anyone want to join me, you are free to.”  Two employees immediately joined me outside, to take in the peace and fresh air and BREATHE.

Things don’t always go as planned.  That’s okay, that makes life worth living. What isn’t okay is to stay stuck in a bad feeling for the day.  It is okay to grieve, be sad, be emotional, but don’t sit in it.  Don’t let it consume you.  Take a timeout for a breather, get your head back on and get back into living the way you want to feel.

• You are in control of your actions and feelings
• Life throws us curveballs, we get to decide how we want to feel and handle them
• Recognizing unwanted feelings sooner rather than later can help you bounce back
• Easy tools for bounce back are breathing, go outside for a few minutes, listen to some inspirational music, set an intention for the rest of the day