BONUS Meditation: A Midday Reset: 5-Minute Meditation for Veterinary Professionals | Episode 50 | Reviving Vet Med

In this special 50th bonus episode, we’re offering you a moment to pause, breathe, and reset with a brief 5-minute meditation. Designed for busy veterinary professionals, this short meditation can be used anytime during your workday to help you ground yourself, release tension, and refocus. Whether you're in your car, breakroom, or office, take this opportunity to reconnect with your breath and calm your mind.

Through simple mindfulness techniques, such as breath awareness, a 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise, and body relaxation, you’ll find yourself rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of your day with a sense of calm and focus. Share this meditation with a colleague who could use a quick reset, and check out additional meditations on Dr. Marie Holowaychuk’s YouTube channel or Insight Timer. 

Resources
Check out additional meditations from Dr. Marie Holowaychuk on Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/sweetmarie00002
Find other meditations from Dr. Marie Holowaychuk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarieHolowaychukDVM 

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For more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter: https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletter 

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To learn more about our 4- and 8-week online programs approved for CE credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE, please visit: https://revivingvetmed.com/programs/.  

Questions, Suggestions, or Sponsorship Opportunities
Email: podcast@revivingvetmed.com 

Transcript

Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of Reviving Vet Med.

Every 10th episode we feature a bonus episode, and for our 50th episode, I'm sharing a brief meditation recording. This comes from a common request that I get for a short five-minute reset that can be used anytime throughout the workday. So find a quiet, private space, whether in your parked car, in the break room, or in an office, and let's take a few minutes to ground and relax before tackling the rest of your busy day. 

This is the Reviving Vet Med podcast and I'm your host, doctor Marie Holowaychuk. My mission is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals around the world. Welcome everyone. This short meditation is designed to help you relax, ground and reset during your busy workday. 

For the next few minutes, you'll use simple mindfulness techniques to refocus your attention and bring calm back into your body. 

So let's start by finding a comfortable seated position. You can sit in a chair, on the ground or on the floor, whatever feels best for you. Gently close your eyes. If you feel comfortable or keep a sigh, gaze ahead. 

Then I'm going to invite you to take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth. Let your body relax into the chair, ground or floor beneath. You feel supported by whatever surface you're on. 

Now bring attention to your breath. Notice the natural rise and fall of your chest or abdomen as you breathe in and out. You don't need to change anything, just notice. And if your mind starts to wander, gently bring it back to your breath. 

Let's take three deep, cleansing breaths together. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth again. In and out. Last time. In and out. Now we're going to use the 54321 exercise to ground ourselves in the present moment. 

This technique helps shift your focus to your surroundings and your body, giving you a reset. Start by looking around the room and identifying five things that you can see. Take your time to notice the small details, the colors, shapes, textures of the objects around you. Now focus on four things that you can physically feel. This might be the sensation of your feet on the floor, your hands resting in your lap, the fabric of your clothing, or the air on your skin. Next, listen carefully for three things that you can hear. 

This could be sounds inside the room, like the hum of an air conditioner, or outside, like distant voices or the rustle of leaves. Now notice two things that you can smell. Take a deep breath in and see if you can pick up any faint scents. Whether it's the aroma of coffee or tea? Food or the fresh air. 

Lastly, focus one thing that you can taste. Maybe it's the lingering taste of your last meal or sip of water. Simply observing without any judgment. Now that you're grounded, let's shift our attention to your body. Start at the top of your head and gently scan downward. Notice if you're holding any tension in your face, neck or shoulders. Take a moment to relax these areas. 

Continue to scan down your arms, chest, stomach, legs and feet with each breath, letting go of any tension you might feel and feeling a wave of relaxation spread through your body. And as we come to the end of this meditation, bring your attention back to your breath. Take one more deep inhale and a slow, steady exhale. When you're ready, slowly open your eyes or lift your gaze and notice how your body feels relaxed, grounded, and reset. You are now ready to continue your day with a sense of calm and focus. Thank you so much for taking this moment for yourself. Have a wonderful rest of your day. So that's it for this episode of reviving Vet Med. I hope that you enjoyed this brief meditation for our bonus 50th episode. 

I also hope that you'll consider sharing it with a colleague or co-worker who you think would benefit from a midday workday reset. 

If you're interested in other meditations that I've recorded, you can find them on my YouTube channel at Marie Holowaychuk DVM or on Insight timer @marieholowaychuk. If you have suggestions for future bonus episodes, please email us at podcast@revivingvetmed.com. 

I'd like to thank Asia and her team at Barebeat Productions for producing this episode, and I'd like to thank you for listening. I hope you'll tune in next time. In the meantime, take care of yourself. Bye for now.