If you can get out into nature, that would be ideal. Even a few minutes of walking outdoors can boost your emotional health. If you cannot go outside, consider taking a few moments to look at the sky, trees, or other plants near you.

It’s that simple, and it is always within your reach.

Rx: Here is a photo taken at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco that I would like to share with you as a micro-meditation. I invite you to look at the photo and notice the colors and lines. Immerse yourself in the image for a few seconds. Take some deep breaths with long exhalations and give yourself a brief mental hygiene break.

If you feel inspired to share your photography with us in the newsletter, please let me know. I would be delighted to share it with our community of readers.

To your health!

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However, the good news about yesterday is that I did a combination of podcast and webinar for dentists on the topic of burnout and stress-proofing one’s self. Along with information about burnout and stress, I shared a “tool kit” with the audience that consisted of practical strategies to effectively deal with stress in one’s life. There were about 200 people who attended the live stream and my host informed me today that within twenty four hours, there were over three thousand views of the recording!

As soon as it is posted on YouTube, I look forward to sharing that with you here - because the information is applicable to anyone who faces stressful conditions - not only dentists (who along with dental hygienists, experience high rates of burnout.)

I look forward to sharing the recording with you because, in it, I highlight how the role of environments is often overlooked when addressing job stress. All too often, organizations and stress management programs focus on the individual but ignore factors such as work conditions (such as high workload and sub-optinal management practices) which exert a negative impact on people’s health.

For today I would like to share with you a photo, from a recent walk by the San Francisco Bay, for your micro-meditation.

Rx: I invite you to look at the photo and notice the colors, the shapes and the lighting. Immerse yourself in the image for a few second. Take some deep breaths with long exhalations and there you have it: a quick mental hygeine break!

It’s that simple and it is something always within your reach.

Alternatively, you can look around you and notice something that offers you an uplift. It can be something beautiful like a flower, or it can be something interesting, like the shadow of a fern that is cast when the sun is positioned just so.

And if you ever feel inspired to share your photography with us in the newsletter, please do reach out and let me know. I would be delighted to share your micro-meditations with our community of readers.

To your health!

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Allow your eyes to wander around the image and notice the details such as the lines, textures, colors, and especially the light of the sun.

Rx: Enter fully into the moment as you take in the image…all the while breathing slowly and evenly. That’s it!

Linger a moment and enjoy the image and soon you can reconnect with your inner calm.

To your health!

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What colors do you see?

Can you see tones and gradations of color?

Do you see clouds?

Are there trees through which you can have a filtered view of the sky?

The possibilities are endless.

If you are having a busy, non-stop hectic day, pause from time to time and take 30 seconds to appreciate the beauty and expanse of the sky above you.

This is a simple yet powerful way for you to punctuate your day with pauses and in so doing, brush your mind and practice mental hygiene.

Rx: Enter fully into the moment as you look at the sky…all the while breathing slowly and evenly. That’s it!

To your health!

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Allow your eyes to wander around the image and notice the details such as the lines, textures and variation in colors.

What meaning and symbolism might you find in the image?

For me, the flower feels like it has emerged triumphant despite the long and cold winter, and there it stands in defiance of the surrounding debris from the past season.

Rx: Enter fully into the moment as you take in the image…all the while breathing slowly and evenly. Doing so helps to reconnect with your inner calm. That’s it! It’s that easy.

To your health!

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In a busy world and a hectic life, sometimes we can feel like we are living a run-on sentence…non-stop in high gear.

For that reason, I would like to tell you about emotional punctuation marks.

Introducing Micro-Meditations!

No monastery, no cushion, no trek to far away lands.

Just take a few seconds to look around you. Choose something that you feel grateful for, or something that inspires you, or uplifts you.

Whatever you focus on, let that sink into your awareness. Think of it like a stone being dropped on the surface of the pond and let peace and calm ripple thorough you, even just for a few seconds.

Allow yourself to fully enter into that moment and let it refresh you.

It’s that easy. It is within your reach. And you can do it as often as you like to help you maintain quality of life and not feel like you are being overtaken by your tasks and to-do list.

To get you started, here is a photo I recently took in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Think of it like a writing prompt. Focus on the photo and look at the details you can spot. For instance, you can look for gradations of color and texture. Or you can look at the contrast between straight lines and curves.

And as you do so for thirty seconds, let all your other thoughts fall by the wayside. Enter fully into the moment, all the while breathing slowly and evenly. That’s it!

To your health!

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