The Healthcare Professional’s Practical Guide To Practicing Stillness

5. Get to know thyself

Start to get in tune with yourself and your feelings (get all in your feelings, lol). Get to know if you are having feelings of anxiety, sadness, happiness, frustration, business, etc. However, you feel is completely OK. Learn about yourself and your mind.

6. Count your breaths

Focus on your breathing as you take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to count “one” when you take in your first breath, then “two” as you breathe out. Repeat this to the count of 10 and then start again at one.

7. Refocus when your mind wanders off

Your mind will wander, (there is no if, and, or buts about it) and it is perfectly normal. When this happens go back to your breathing technique previously discussed. Stillness is a practice and it will take practice to make it perfect.

8. Don’t focus on clearing your mind

Most people automatically think that stillness means they will block all information in their head or block all thoughts, but you won’t. Your brain is going to do just what God developed it to do and that is to bring in information. So when you have thoughts and information on your head, just practice focusing your attention, and practice some more when your mind wanders. Remember practice make perfect!

9. Stay with whatever arises

Now I know that I have told you to practice breathing when your mind wanders off, but after you have been practicing stillness for about a week or two, stay with those thoughts and feelings that come up. At this point, those thoughts and feelings

10. Be attentive to light, sounds, energy

After you have been practicing for 2 weeks or so start to go deeper and pay more attention to the lights in the room, sounds you hear, and energy you feel (if needed focus on each of these one day at a time and then focus on all 3 together).

11. Commit

I am telling you that, in the beginning, you will feel lost but the more you practice the better you will get at it and the better result you will get, so really commit yourself to practicing stillness. A key to discovering your purpose as a healthcare professional is stillness, so just “BE”.

_{Nicole Thomas is an educator, motivator, and purposeful living enthusiast. She has 11 years of experience in leadership, healthcare management, clinical knowledge, and business acumen. Her mission is to help female healthcare professionals to awaken their God-given purpose as a healthcare professional through education and empowerment. Nicole earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Southern University A&M College and her Masters of Nursing with a specialization in Nursing Education from Walden University. She is currently working on her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and her forthcoming book entitled “In Health, On Purpose”.}