Renaissance Trophy Wife

As a child, I used to stress out before auditions, some tests, performances, you name it.  My mom taught me breathing/meditative techniques that helped, but what has really enabled me to control stress as an adult is the perspective I gained during my time in medicine.  I’m not talking about the tests they gave us, though.  There is nothing like spending time in the trenches in the hospital, and I haven’t discussed it too specifically yet because it’s taken some distance to reflect well on how it affected me.

There’s still a recurring series of vignettes that play back in my head, stories both heartbreaking and hopeful that are indelibly imprinted on my consciousness.  All it takes is some quiet space, maybe a line in a news article, or an ad campaign to bring the faces of my patients and their families back to the forefront of my attention.  I’m grateful for all I’ve learned, but also grateful not to be going through such emotional turmoil on a daily basis.

And so whenever I’m confronted with a particularly contrary client, an obnoxious customer service rep, or a frustrating negotiation, I take a deep breath and envision how I’d feel if I knew the whole picture.  What if they’re a patient?  Or dealing with the illness of someone close to them?  I’ve seen how bad it can get, and how close some can get to the breaking point.  Giving people the benefit of the doubt goes a long way in helping me diffuse my frustration and respond in a calm, collected manner.  However much posturing and yelling may occur during the day, it’s not a life and death situation.

Looking ahead to the next milestones in my adulthood– marriage, advancing my career, having kids– I know that there will be both joy and sadness.  The lessons I learned in my early 20s will help me address challenges in a constructive manner, take pleasure in successes, and grow into a role model for my future children.  But most of all, I want to embrace all those moments fully, taste them on the back of my tongue and absorb them into my skin, celebrate the fact that no matter when the story comes to an end, I can still write the adventure within.  And that, as Jon Stewart would say, is my moment of zen.