One of the elements of discovery is “stillness." I am sure you are thinking, "What does that really mean? As healthcare professional, how can I incorporate STILLNESS into my life when I have been trained to move and move fast because it is the difference between life and death?"
Guess what, IT IS POSSIBLE! Let’s break this down a little bit more.
What Exactly is Stillness?
Many people see the word “stillness” and automatically think it means to have no movement which is true to a certain point, but from the perspective of discovery, “stillness” is the state of being or being one with yourself. Not thinking about the kids, what you have to cook for dinner, the bills you need to pay, the job you dread, the co-worker or friend that gets on your nerves, etc. I mean you DO NOT think about any of that, just simply BE!
In the state of being is where we really and truly get to “know thyself” and not what everyone else tells us about ourselves. So when you are in a state of stillness, it doesn’t mean that things are not going on around you, it means that they are not going on within you.
Let me make it a little clearer for you, you can be at work on a 35 bed med-surg unit with 10 physicians and 3 respiratory therapist on the unit, family all over the place, a supervisor who is screaming at staff, and a co-worker who scrolling through her social media timelines chilling while you have 10 outstanding task and not let ANY, I mean ANY of it affect you internally.
The key is to create an intention of stillness which can be achieved by having some intentionality about how you are carrying yourself in a given moment and focus on what is within your control.
Now that we have what stillness means from the perspective of discovery out of the way, let me share 4 tips that can help you to begin the practice of stillness and make the practice of stillness a ritual in your life:
Deep Breath
Yep, simply deep breathe! I hear you saying “and how is that going to help”? When we take deep breaths it induces the parasympathetic system and slows down your heart rate, which leads to a state of relaxation (use this one when you have trouble going on all around you so that it is not going on in you).
Schedule Time to Be
Look, let's keep it real. We all live a busy life that pulls us in 50 directions and many us live by a Google calendar which tells where to be and when. Well guess what, place your “Be Time” on there too. It has been proven that anything we do for 21 days becomes a habit.
Get off Social Media
Yes I said it! Get off Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. stalking pages and looking at fairytale lives that often don’t exist and practice just “Being” (I was once guilty of this one, LOL). With the hours we spend on these sites weekly, we can really get to “know thyself” and find our purpose as a healthcare professional.
Find a Location That Brings You Serenity
I know I said the state of being can happen when trouble is all around you which means we can have stillness anywhere but to get to a place where we can do this, we can get practice by doing it in areas where we find peace. So that may be by the water, outdoors with the birds chirping, a certain room in your home, etc. Practicing stillness in a location that brings you peace prepares you to be able to do it anywhere.
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