Today is Going to Be a Long Day

You know how you can just tell sometimes? It's going to be a long day. My intern wasn't feeling really well yesterday, so I'm preparing for her schedule, just in case, I woke up really early this morning, and actually cold, and now I have a headache just lurking at the fringes of my eyes.

So, what to do on these days when you just know that there are challenges ahead? Breathe.

My favorite way to get ready for the day is to sit with the cat on my lap. She doesn't cuddle often, so when she does, I try to take advantage of the moments just to enjoy. We spend a couple of minutes (she never stays for long), and I enjoy her purr, her breathing, and her ability to curl up and relax. She can be such a good influence on me as I get stuck in a hustling mode. So, I breathe.

I have some clients who use breathing to calm - if I can prompt them before they go into a crisis cycle, they can start to learn how to self-soothe. It's important to be able to demonstrate the soothing techniques that we want in our clients, so I have to remind myself to practice what I preach. So, when I start to get overwhelmed, I take an obvious breath.

Of course, that's about when I start to cough, but that's an entirely different story.

One of the best things about music therapy is that I can use those important elements of music to assist my clients in both breathing and self-soothing. It's not as easy as just plugging in relaxation music - there are other forces at work here - but I am able to use the elements of music in a therapeutic way that provides my clients with a musical structure and foundation that assists them in calming. The power of being a music therapist - not just someone who offers an iPod.

I am going to head off into the work world today, trying to anticipate whatever is going to happen, and focus on breathing. One breath at a time.

Breathe.

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