[MUSIC] When I wake up before I actually get out of bed, I just do a quick body scan to make sure that everything is working. [LAUGH] And then one of my favorite mindfulness teacher says, remember your non-toothache days. So, like I've had really bad dental issues. And so even just reminding myself, yeah, this is my 3,000th day of no toothache. So just that practice has been very helpful for starting the day. >> So now when I wake up the morning, I kind of have a little routine depending on I work quite early. So at home, I have a little practice that I just kind of being mindful I go outside with the dog, and I stand there I just listen. Kind of wake myself up in the morning with outside nature's a big deal for me. >> I usually try to park all further away from the clinic door so that I have about a ten minute walk to work. And often that's my last exposure to nature, depending on the day because it may be pitch dark when I get out. And so I'll do some mindful walking just kind of engaged in what's happening in the outside natural world. [MUSIC] >> I'm at work about an hour and a half before anybody else in my office. So the first 20 minutes I kind of settle in and then just kind of sit. Sometimes I will put on a little tape or a meditation recording that I have. Or I'll pop something up on YouTube and just follow that in my ear plugs for about 15-20 minutes, or sometimes I just sit quietly. >> There's not enough time in the day to sit down and meditate all day long. But, before I'm walking into a patient's room, I pause, taking one full and deep breath as I'm foaming into their room. And I'm really present with myself doing that. And I do that many times during the day, then each time I walk in or out of a patient's room, there is a pause in my day that helps me to come back fully into my body. And by coming back fully into my body, I'm more aware of what's going on. >> I also do some short mindfulness practice with my patients, so that actually helps me keep up with formal practice. Because when I do therapy, I do short five-minute to ten minute practice with my patients to those that are interested in mindfulness. So in a way that helps me structure that time and keep it regular. >> One of the big things I do is I'll get outside or I'll walk. If I need to just get out, and just kind of clear my mind, and just pay attention to something else, I'll go out and walk. And every chance I get I try to walk out in nature. And we have a really nice property out, I'll walk down towards the park that's near us. And I'll just listen, let my thoughts kind of go to the birds, I'll pay attention to that. So that's part of my mindfulness, just keeping refresh during the day. >> I have to be immediately present and engaged with the patient. So one thing I usually do is a double handshake. So instead of just the single handshake, I'll grasp their hands with both my hands. And then I'll hold a handshake for maybe a few seconds more than is normal, or maybe even a few seconds more than it might be comfortable. But for me just holding their hands and just looking in their eyes for a few seconds, just helps me ground with that particular person. >> When I sit down with the patient, I take a deep breath while I'm looking at them, and it invites them to take a deep breath. And, not a whole bunch has to be said in that first ten seconds, but the patient gets the idea, they get the sense that you're really present with them. And it helps us to kind of add a key into each other to figure out like, what's going to happen here, like what's the best way forward? [MUSIC] >> And then at dinner my husband who is also a physician, he and I do a specific gratitude practice. So, as you probably know there's a negativity bias when we look back on our day, or our life, or whatever. And so most of the time you only remember the difficult encounters or things that went wrong. But we specifically try to think of two or three things that went really well in our work day and then we share those, and that's been very helpful to me too. >> I enjoy being a mom, so that's a mindfulness practice for me in many ways. And it's challenging and it's rewarding, but at these moments of stress and reactivity that comes up when you;re a parent. Especially when you're tired or, your child is being challenging for whatever reason. So, being able to work with that in that moment, to me that's a great mindfulness practice. >> I do relatively very short periods of what you'd call formal seated practice. So really most of my practices are daily practices sprinkled throughout the day. >> I have to say keeping a regular formal practice on my own is not easy. And I've had times when I was better at it and then times when I fell out of it. Now, since my child has been born it's been more challenging to do regular practice, so I really rely more on the informal practice.
