Center for Workplace Happiness

Have you ever heard of box breathing? It’s a controlled way of breathing with specific patterns, and there are a bunch of different patterns.

A study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology suggests that two minutes of 5-2-7 breathing a day will help you make better decisions.

Breathe in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 2, exhale for a count of 7. Two minutes of that a day will calm you down in that moment and help you make better decisions for the rest of the day.

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!

Are you feeling tense and stressed with too many thoughts flying around in your head? Do you have five minutes, a private space and a towel or yoga mat?

A super-fast way to calm the chaos in your mind while relieving the stress in your back is to take a yoga break and rest in child’s pose.

Spread out your mat or towel, sit on your heels, toes together and knees apart about hip-width. If you can’t sit on your heels, place a pillow between your bottom and heels. If you’re pregnant, place a pillow between your thighs to provide abdominal support.

Exhale your arms forward and long as you gently lower your chest to your thighs, place your forehead on the mat and relax into the pose.

Breathe long, slow, deep breaths and allow your shoulders to sink towards the mat as the tension in your neck eases. Stay as long as you need to, until you feel relaxed and in control. Child's pose for the win.

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!

Do you try to live up to other peoples’ ideas of who you should be?

Sometimes Mom accidentally calls me Bonnie – that was the last red-head-Siberian she had. Oops!

If there’s someone in your life who expects you to behave, believe and achieve they way they want you to that’s probably causing you a lot of stress, whether you realize it or not. So before you jump through a hoop someone else thinks you should jump through, ask yourself if YOU want to jump through that hoop.

You have your own inner knowing of who you were born to be. You know what feels good to you and what doesn’t. You are you – the one and only you on the planet. You do you, and let that other person see and appreciate you for who you are.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

How do you feel when something goes wrong?

I ran into the coffee table and knocked two books and a big candle off. Oops…my bad, Mom!

When you do something like that, do you kick yourself for failing or give yourself the grace of knowing that you did the best you could do with the information you had, and now you have more information?

I know sometimes lives are at stake when something goes wrong in your hospital and that adds extra pressure. When you remember that you did the best you could with the information you had, it’s easier to allow yourself the space to learn and grow.

And that’s what humans are here to do!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Have you ever heard that saying, “go big or go home?” Humans say it about sporting events a lot, and it’s good advice in your life, too.

Many girl humans are raised to be delicate and feminine and ladylike – bah!

Be those when and if you want to be, and be other things too. Have a big, audacious goal and go for it. Have big, loud fun and invite everyone around you to be part of it. Give yourself permission to do that crazy thing you’ve always wanted to do.

When you go big in your imagination and in real life, you live the life you’re designed for. Go big before you’re called home.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Nope...not a post about exotic animal practice! :D

Do you ever feel like a chameleon – you know, like you have to change yourself to fit in with those around you?

When I go to the dog show, most of the other Siberians are grey and white and some of them raise an eyebrow at my red coat. Who cares – I love my red hair!

If you’re working with or living with people you believe you have to hide your true self from, that has to feel really bad, and maybe even scary sometimes.

It might feel hard, but you have to be true to you – don’t trade away your authenticity for the approval of others. Be you – you might be pleasantly surprised by the love and support you’ll find.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Are you feeling frumpy today?

My Poodle brother likes to chew on my ears and sheesh – the hair behind them just won’t lay down right when he does that!

Maybe you’re having a bad hair day, too? Or maybe you feel like you’ve added a few pounds or like the scrub color you’re wearing washes you out.

Here’s something to try – give yourself a compliment. Make it something you can believe, something you know is true about you – got it? Good – now go find a mirror and look yourself in the eyes as you give yourself that compliment a few times in a row.

Reminding yourself of your strengths can banish that frumpy feeling fast!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

What do you deserve?

Really think about the things you want in life and then ask yourself, “do I deserve this?”

Now and then Mom brings home a new toy – wow! I might have a moment of “what did I do to deserve this?” and then I start playing with that toy like there’s no tomorrow.

You might feel like you don’t deserve to reach your dreams – have the house you want, or the partner you want or the children you want – and you would be wrong.

You deserve everything your heart can find to want, and more. You are probably the main person standing in your way to feeling deserving. When you think about what you want and ask “do I deserve this” answer out loud – "Heck Yeah, I do!!!"

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Do you trust yourself?

Seriously, do you know deep in your solar plexus that in an emergency you can handle whatever needs handling?

Think about it – in your life so far, you’ve handled everything that life’s thrown at you. Sure, some of those things weren’t fun while they were happening – look back now and I bet you can see how they were growth opportunities for you.

Next time you’re thinking about something that’s stressful – something you’ve never done before or something you dread doing – take a deep breath and remember – you’ve got this. You always have and you always will.

Then take it on!

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!

Are you looking to others for validation, love and respect? When you get it, it feels great, doesn’t it?

How about when you say something and expect a positive response, but are met with a flat or negative reply? Not so good, right? And then how do you feel? Less than? Hurt? Angry? Defensive? Maybe a little bit of all of that?

Do you know why you feel that way? Because you gave your power away. It’s not anything the other person did, and believe it or not, their reply probably had more to do with the kind of day they were having, not about you at all!

When you feed yourself – when you give yourself positive messages, validation, love and respect – you hold on to your power, and feel great a lot more often!

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!