Mid-Shift: COVID-19 Health Care Worker Practice

A guided practice for health care professionals on the front lines of COVID-19 to re-energize, motivate and re-calibrate as they navigate their shift. Inspired by the needs of resident medical students at the University of Toronto to support them during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Taken from the album PAUSE+EXPAND: Health Care Provider Meditation & Sound © 2020 PAUSE+EXPAND

Transcript

Gently close your eyes and relax into your seat.

Take a deep breath in and take a deep breath out.

Find the ground beneath you and become present.

Know where you are right now.

What time of day is it?

Notice you are here right now.

There is no other place in the world that's more important than right here.

You are the most important person right now.

This is your time for you.

Take a deep breath in.

Take another deep breath out.

Imagine a ball of light right in your heart,

Right in the center of your body.

Breathe right into that ball of light.

Deep breath in and a deep breath out.

Feel the energy of that light.

It's bright,

It's warm,

It's love.

Take a deep breath in.

Take a deep breath out.

And slow down.

And with your next breath in of light,

Breathe out the stress you've accumulated today.

Feel it leave your body.

And take another breath in of that light.

And breathe out the fear of the patients and their energy and let go.

Let it leave your body.

Take another breath in of that light.

And breathe out the anxiety you've accumulated today.

The anxiety that you've collected and let go.

Remind yourself that being a caregiver is part of you.

Not all of you.

Remember you matter outside of this work.

This work is not all of you.

You are enough.

And whatever you're feeling right now,

It's part of the day.

It's not part of you.

These are like waves in an ocean.

The ups and the down.

Right now you're either part of a wave going up or part of a wave going down.

And we welcome both.

Take a deep breath in.

And take a deep breath out.

Breathe in that light and let it be the energy inside of you as you go forward.

You can go forward now.

Take a deep breath in.

Take a deep breath out.

You will be okay.

You will be okay.

You will be okay.

You will be okay.

You will be okay.

You will be okay.

Reviews

Anyone who is in healthcare, no matter what your role, this is wonderful to hear mid day, but even better - end of your shift/day. We need to take care of ourselves. Don’t think it is selfish to give yourself permission to be “you” outside of the caring role you provide.