Breathe a Little...Breathe a Little...

I am stuck in breathing limbo. I have some struggles when breathing, but nothing is getting worse, so I really can't go to the doctor yet. All they will do at this point is tell me to use my inhalers to open things up (which I am doing). In addition, I am moderately busy these days, so breathing comes up in regards to self-care as well as to life.

It's time to focus on breathing for a bit.

I have always been a singer, so breathing has always been something that I've used to center myself, calm myself down, remain calm in stressful situations, and to sing. My first music therapy clinical demonstration was centered around belly breathing for kids very similar to those that I work with right now. I sing "Up Goes the Castle" from Sesame Street to prompt kids to breathe using diaphragmatic breathing all the time. I have many tricks up my sleeve to get my clients to engage in deep breathing, because I feel that it is the best way of calming a body down - increase oxygenation and decrease muscle tension.

At times like these, I find myself spending lots of time thinking about breathing. I'm thinking about breathing medication, focusing on exhalation (which is a trick I've learned to help me manage my asthma symptoms), and maintaining enough breath to sing without damaging my voice. I also find myself using more and more breathing prompts with my clients because it is needed for me to do my job. Without breath, I just can't make the music that I need to make.

So, we breathe.

I am getting ready to start a month-long video challenge called the ignite video challenge. If you are on Music Therapists Unite, you may have seen the invitation from one of our music therapy colleagues. I am a person who has been doing video presentations for a long time now, but videos are always somewhat intimidating for me, so this challenge is going to be good. The coordinator released the first prompt this morning and encouraged us to use a centering technique before recording our videos. I immediately knew that mine would be taking a couple of deep breaths before turning on the camera. Nothing centers me better and nothing makes me more tense than not being able to breathe.

My first round of medications is now part of me, so I am going to finish getting ready for work, take some deep breaths, pack up the medications that I have to take after my commute is finished, and then get to work for a busy day. Today includes an intern applicant interview, a mid-term review for one of my current interns, and the first ever TMEs for the other current intern. There will be four music therapy bodies in the room - something that will STAGGER the imaginations of my clients and fellow staff members, I am sure! Through it all, I will take my deep breaths.

Breathe, dear reader. In...out...in...........out........

We got this!