good morning!
yes, it’s 4 pm . . . but it’s morning to me. i am thrilled to announce that i actually managed a full 7 hours of sleep after my night shift last night! this will hopefully translate into feeling awake and functional throughout the wee hours during my next 11p – 7a (tonight).
confused yet? my body is, too. however, inspired by HP, i’m trying to “act the way i want to feel”, which means going into my shifts (including the l-a-a-a-te ones!) with a positive and energetic attitude. the honest truth is, though, that it’s not always easy to keep these things going in the dead of night.
on an average 11p – 7a shift, there is a very steady stream of patients until about 2-3 in the morning, and then things usually calm down a bit. last night was busier — i still had multiple patients in rooms waiting to be seen when the clock struck 4! i think i finished my last note at around 6.
i would love to say that i was able to glide through the workload with ease and calm. after all, things did stay relatively under control and i was not dealing with issues that were beyond my capabilities. however, in the heat of it all i have to admit that i was not able to keep entirely cool. inner monologue: i felt frustrated (“WHY are these non-critically-ill patients here at 3 AM??!”), alone (“NO ONE is here to help me!”) and overwhelmed (“i’ll NEVER catch up!”).
the good news is that i noticed these feelings and tried to be conscious about not letting them interfere with my patient care. i bucked myself up and took some deep breaths and just started going through the unseen patients one by one. but there were moments when i was testier than usual — times like when an attending was asking for details/follow-up on older patients when i was knee-deep in new ones that he wasn’t responsible for.
i guess i was mindful of a lot of the stress i was going through, but i’d like to get to a place where i experience less of the stress in the first place. if that makes any sense.
luckily, today is another day . . . a fresh start and a change to improve. at least i’ll be going in with the best of intentions: a victory in itself.
food blogging in the news
hey, doesn’t this salad with arugula, strawberry, snap peas, sprouts, sliced almonds and homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette look delicious?
well, it was. it was also fun to photograph, and i’m having fun writing about it right at this very moment, thinking about how maybe it might make someone else’s mouth water or inspire someone to make something similar.
this new york times article clinches it: food blogging has hit the big time!
this, of course, has brought on critics. there are those who find it obsessive or crazy. plenty find it boring, or dumb. others worry about posts (or the act of posting itself) being triggering for disordered eaters — i found this blog entry to be a refreshing and balanced account of this phenomenon.
personally though? while i am not into documenting every mouthful, i just find it fun to capture and share the things i make. i like food, pretty pictures, documenting things (yes, in general!) and i am interested in cooking and health. i like sharing recipes and meal ideas. i like meeting others (online or in person) who share these common interests. i enjoy taking photos at restaurants because it’s fun for me to relive the whole deal all over again when i write a review, and because i enjoy putting thought into what i like in each dining experience.
i think that part of heading towards the big 3-0 is embracing one’s own true likes and dislikes, idiosyncratic as they may be. i think that watching football is torturous, but who am i to call the past-time dumb, worthless or obsessive?
to each their own, i say!
can you think of anything that you find really fun that others just don’t get? and, anyone else have thoughts on the NYT article? i’d love to read your thoughts.
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4.8.10
workout: 6 miles in the pollen-y hills of CH at 8:48/mi average.
ED & BV success! josh was dubious when i announced this month’s culinary theme. but he loved the broccoli and tofu teriyaki stir-fry from eat, drink & be vegan, as did i!
the sauce had a nice sweetness to it and using a bit of oil and salt on the broccoli really made the flavors pop. this was an easy recipe that i would make again!
reading: from our ‘top 10 emergency dept articles’ series: an article on management on non-febrile seizures.
i am grateful for . . .: having enough $ that i can buy presents freely for those that i love.
2 Comments
Long-time reader, first-time commenter! I love hearing about your experiences with mindfulness! I am currently in a clinical psychology doctoral program with an emphasis in health psychology. Mindfulness is a therapeutic technique used often with chronic pain patients, as well as those presenting with depression, anxiety, and other types of mood disorders.
Clients often find it useful to describe their thoughts and feelings in a way that helps them put some distance between themselves and their distress: "I'm having the thought that I can't do X" rather than "I can't do X" or "I'm having the feeling that I'm angry" rather than "I'm angry." A subtle change, I'm sure, and one baffles clients (you want me to do what?!), but it can help people recognize that a thought or an emotion is just "a thought" or just "an emotion" – it isn't THEM. They do not have to be defined by their thoughts or emotions – they are transitory. Using this language can create a great sense of awareness and mindfulness!
So sorry for the long rant – I'm passionate about mindfulness! Thanks for sharing your experiences – I really love reading about them!
I've often wondered why I like food blogs. I only read a few that are really well done. Maybe it's because I like cooking or like the meal ideas. It's kinda odd to care what others eat when I think about it.