courtesy of catpictures.net
So, guess who slept through both her alarms yesterday? Somehow, I managed to make it to work almost on time and had a fairly productive day, despite feeling that I was sleepwalking. I’m still not totally convinced Wednesday happened.
I had no idea how I was going to make it to dinner plans with friends at The Smile in Soho that night, but luckily, I managed to fit in some quality time with my yoga mat before I had to shower and run out the door.
I never cease to be amazed at how restorative even twenty minutes or a half-hour of yoga can be. For me, it’s all about just breathing and moving and being present. I’m giving a presentation next week on stress management techniques for the food service staff at the hospital, and you’d better believe breathing exercises and yoga are part of it.
Meditation is a big one too. A lot of people think you need to sit in lotus position for, like, two hours and be free of all thoughts, but honestly, even just five minutes of focused stillness can be beneficial. Sometimes if I’m really stressed, to calm myself down I’ll repeat a phrase to myself such as “now I’m inhaling, now I’m exhaling.” Or I’ll use alternate nostril breathing to give myself something to focus on instead of the madness in my head. I always feel so much better after!
As for dinner last night—it was so much fun to catch up with some ladies I don’t get to see often enough over some delicious food. If you go, try the kale salad and the fava bean crostini with ricotta. I was happy to have a clear head, even if I then proceeded to drink perhaps slightly more Cote du Rhone than I’d advise my patients to consume on a given day…Needless to say, I slept like a baby last night.
Do you meditate? How else do you manage stress?
