Using the Breath

This practice can be done in less than a minute. It allows a moment for you to calm your mind and regroup. You can do it before each patient encounter to give yourself a breather. 

1. Stand by the patient’s door

2. Reach for hand gel

3. Close your eyes

4. Take three deep breaths while gel is drying

5. Be attentive to your breath

6. Allow the past encounters to be released

7. Enter the patient’s room with curiosity and attention

This is an even more focused practice—one that takes just 16 seconds—one that you can use to start a shift, start a meeting—to get you all together into the green zone. Is the four square breath.

It goes like this:

First start by exhaling completely, then

Breathe in slowly for 4 sec

Hold the breath for 4 sec

Breathe out slowly for 4 sec

Hold for 4 second

Its just a way of slowing down the breath, and allowing that to calm you both physiologically and emotionally.  Try it.  And try it with your teams.