The Zen tradition holds that in meditation practice, notions of doctrine and teachings necessitate the creation of various notions and appearances that obscure the transcendent wisdom of each being’s Buddha-nature.
Another way to think about is: A total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen is a way of being. It also is a state of mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts.
I think of Zen as a Physical, Mental, and Emotional homeostasis. A personal “set” point where you are at your best, In mood, health, and effectiveness.
My personal interpretation and practice can be summed up in;
- Chilling out .
- Refueling.
- De-stressing.
- And getting ready.
I will break these down with the goal of helping you find a little Zen of your own.
Chilling out: Resting is a huge part of returning to, and maintaining your center point. We, humans have a limited amount of physical, mental and emotional energy at our disposal. And despite our best (or addictive) attempts, no safe amount of coffee, V-Tac in a can, or 5hr B12 Vitamin shot can compete with the natural energy and focus that is created from rest. Now I’ll admit I do enjoy the effects of a caffeinated beverage or two, but with in reason.
I know that in this field, rest is often hard to come across. But I find that if you are proactive in your quest for rest, you’ll be surprised at how many opportunities there actually are. It starts at home, if you can get a good nights sleep before your shift, you will be miles ahead of most of your coworkers. Think of yourself like a cell phone: If you are not going to have access to a charger for the next 24hrs, it would be best to start with a full battery.
Rest can be found even at work. If you post a lot, there’s nothing wrong with taking some of that time that you would have spent playing on your phone, walking through shops, or complaining about unimportant administrative matters with your partner, and directing towards some rest. It doesn’t have to be a nap. Just sitting still, and quieting your mind for a few minutes can really help. Kinda sounds like meditating, doesn’t it?
If you spend your time at a station between calls and assignments, thats even better. Some departments and companies have policies about sleeping during the day. But, like i said, it doesn’t have to be a nap. Just chill out for a bit.
Refueling: What you put into your body, will directly effect what kind of performance you can get out of it. Since your shift is predictably unpredictable, like rest, its start at home. Insuring that you are appropriately fueled up before your shift, or packing healthy food with you to have at the station during your shift, Will keep your mind and body capable of handling the challenges ahead. While in contrast, too much fast food wreaks havoc on your body. And being dehydrated, and mildly hypoglycemic is a major Zen killer.
Depending on the length of your shift, and call volume of your area, you could compare it to a work out, or marathon of sorts. I work 24hrs and sometimes 48hrs in a busy area. Lately I have experimented with “Carbo-loading” the day before, or between 4pm-7pm during my shift. I have found that it has increased my stamina during the day, and helped with my performance on 3am calls. This isn’t just for work, because having a healthy diet off shift, will make it easier to maintain one while you’re on shift.
De-stressing. Being able to manage stress healthily and effectively could be the most important strategy for keeping your Zen.
We in emergency services are a unique animal. There is something about the inherent danger, chaos, drama, and unpredictably that pulls at us like moths to flame. Most of us would claim the we are “immune, desensitized, strong, or can just deal with it.”
That may be true to some degree, but underneath that macho and or calm facade, a million plus years of evolution is responding to the danger,chaos, drama, and unpredictability, and in not so positive ways. Kinda interesting when you think that the stress stimulus that gives some of us an “adrenalin high”, can send others into an anxiety attack.
Leave work, at work.
Easier said then done for a lot of us, myself included. Anyone can tell you I love my career, in fact I’m kinda a geek about it. If I’m not on shift, I’m usually thinking about, or doing something work related. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but it does blur the lines between EMS life, and “normal” life. The negative side of that, is that many in this field are at risk for developing Post-traumatic stress disorder. Go ahead and kid yourself, but its rough out there.
Having a good system for stress management both on, and off duty is key. Everyone will have there own practices that work best for them. It will take some experimenting to find out what fits you personally, but here are some things that I currently do, or have tried and seen good results from.
On duty:
Paperwork, Cleaning and Organizing .
Everyone says they hate doing paperwork and station duties. But I, as well as some station mate have found that the act of filling out a PCR (patient care report) checking boxes, and recounting the events of the last call through your narrative to be therapeutic at times. It causes you to focus, and can symbolically bring closure once its finished and filed away.
Cleaning and organizing gives you a simple and repetitive task, that has a noticeable and positive result. In emergency services we are very result driven: I don’t care how I get there, but i wont the result to be “X”. Reversing brochospasms, Getting a perfusing rhythm, Extricating a patient safely and quickly…. Results. As trivial as it may seem, organizing equipment, or having a clean day room, trips the same result driven reward centers in your brain.
Escaping.
Doing activities between runs that allows you to escape. Things like reading a book, watching a movie, getting lost on the interwebs machine, phoning or Skyping with friends or family, anything that brings you enjoyment. You know the tones are going to go off at some point, why sit around and tap your feet waiting for it?
Stop complaining.
Stop complaining about dispatch, management, the other guy on the other shift, blah blah blah. It only breeds negative feelings. If you really don’t like something, try directing that energy towards changing it for the better.
Off Duty:
Recharge yourself.
Go out and have fun on your days off, live it, use it, its your time. Take a day trip somewhere, go on a date, spend time with your family, just do something good for yourself. If your life can be described as go to work, go home, repeat. Then you need to find some excitement. It doesn’t have to be expensive, or some big deal, just something that is meaningful and enjoyable to you.
On the flip side, you might just need to stay home and do nothing. If you fall more on the Introvert side of the personality spectrum, realize that being on shift, also means being put into one social encounter after another for 12 or 24hrs. Giving yourself the time to be alone, read a book, veg out in front of the T.V, or whatever it is that you need, is very important.
Get Moving.
Physical activity is a great stress reducer. It oxygenates your body, helps to flush out toxins, and it fills your brain with endorphins (happy chemicals) and it keeps you fit. And as long as we are doing things that give us enjoyment on our off time, why not include a sport that you love. Join a local league or club, or organize a weekly game with your friends. Being in the gym, cycling, swimming, running, its up to you, just move.
I would not recommended exercising on shift though. Unless your department or company has a daily PT program, the fact that we only have so much energy to put to use, and the risk of injury makes working out at work a low priority for me.
Gratitude.
Taking a few minutes to be grateful that you have the skills and knowledge to help people. That you have a job to go to, a home to return to, and a family and friends who love you. And that after all the tragedies you witness, be grateful that none were your emergency.
Getting Ready.
Not being ready for whatever you are expected to do, is a major cause of stress for many people. Misplacing something important, being late for work, feeling lost, these are awful and avoidable.
Many aspects of our job are unpredictable and out of our control. But take control of what you can, and set yourself up for success. Lay out your uniform and pack your car the night before. Give your self plenty of time to get to station at least 15min before you shift starts, and know where you are going. When you get there, make sure all your equipment is working and in its proper place. Also have your personal gear ready, and on the vehicle you are assigned to.
I will continue to experiment and fine tune these practices in my own pursuit of Zen, and I hope this will help you find some Zen of your own.
What ways have you found to keep your Zen?
