Golden Transformation: Busy medical practice finds holistic health helpful for stress reduction!

Earlier this month I found myself providing stress management counseling for a very busy physician’s office. What was interesting about this experience is that it was not meant for their patients, but rather their medical staff. Within minutes of observing the environment I could tell this group of hardworking, dedicated professionals were operating on what seemed like adrenaline. The support they needed in the immediate moment was to rediscover why stress management is important for their own self-care. In the healthcare profession it's easy to become wrapped up in a cycle of taking care of everyone else without replenishing one’s own resources of energy and wellness.

Knowing they were busy and had very little time for a stress reduction presentation, I narrowed my focus down to one or two tools I could teach them; I hoped they would be successful at incorporating these short yet effective changes into their lives, even if it meant only taking one minute away from work to practice self-care. With 30 minutes on the clock and phones ringing off the hook, we managed to have an assistant answer the phones while the rest of the staff was allowed this rare opportunity to be gathered in a separate room, with the door closed, to learn a few techniques.

My lesson focused on diaphragmatic breathing and guided imagery. We practiced 2-5 minutes of this highly effective breathing technique followed by a 15-20 minute guided imagery focused on releasing muscle tension and visualizing ourselves in a relaxing, restorative environment. The end result was truly amazing for the office staff as they each felt not only more relaxed, but grounded. They felt they could function within the busyness of their office, but this time they agreed it would come from feeling calm, alert and refreshed.

Since the staff at this medical practice were open to the idea of help, and welcomed the invitation to learn new tools for rebalancing during a busy workday, they are truly on the road to success. In order for them to make the change a habit, I suggested they practice regularly and with the help of tools such as CD’s or podcasts that offer instruction and guidance on the deeper breathing technique and visualizations.

To learn more about how guided imagery and diaphragmatic breathing can help you with reducing stress, check out these resources:

Free downloadable podcasts: