Creating space

Dear Clinician,

When you look at your life & your schedule, does it feel like...

< S P A C I O U S N E S S >

If you're anything like me, probably not.

For most of my career, every moment I wasn't seeing patients was filled with studying, admin or other jobs. To me, time management was simply a matter of logistics: I would look at what I thought I should do, divide my time up to fit all of that in and voilà! - a perfectly productive day. Tasks that didn't seem productive or useful were not even considered, let alone leaving myself to do * gasp * NOTHING!

Except what I didn't realise was that this was not how my brain was meant to function - let alone function optimally. Not only was I planning things into my day at times that were not optimal for that specific type of task, there was just no margin in my day. I expected myself to function like a machine.

But if you are (by some coincidence) also a HUMAN, chances are that you are craving more space, more margin.

More room to breathe.  

< to do & think about nothing in particular >

< to process ideas and let your mind wander (and wonder) >

< to be outside in nature for an indefinite amount of time >

< to be flexible, spontaneous & able to adapt to your changing needs and desires >

< to lean back, look at the bigger picture and remind yourself of what really matters >

< to be present with the life you actually have and the people you share it with >

< to have time where you aren't needed by anyone >

< to lessen the expectations and pressure, particularly when life is feeling harder than usual >

But this is not just so that you can perform better or have your brain functioning optimally so that you can be more productive (although that can feel awesome too). It's about so much more than that.

It's about your experience of this one incredible life of yours.

What it feels like to you on a daily basis.

The texture of your life when you really settle into it.

Depending on where you're starting from, sometimes the idea of spaciousness in your life can seem like an impossibility. If you start with trusting that it's important, there is most likely a place you can start and take one small step.

So as we are moving into April, where would you like to create more spaciousness in your life?