Healing with Heart from Moss Communications

Taking a “Protected Time” to Reflect

Taking a “Protected Time” to Reflect is the second reflection in Healing with Heart: Inspirations for Health Care Professionals. It was placed early in the book because it advocates in practical terms for the need to take time away from one’s work and ones’ life, and create some distance from the daily-ness of life in order to return with greater strength and enthusiasm. Paradoxically, we need to step away from our life in order to garner a greater appreciation for it.

The entire premise for Healing with Heart is based on the importance of setting aside a time every day for reflection, and recognizing the valuable contribution this sacred time makes to the quality of our personal and professional lives. When we recognize its importance, we will “protect” it with the same fervor as we would other things or people who are precious to us. Here is an excerpt from Taking a “Protected Time” to Reflect:

A speaker from one of the nation’s most prestigious medical centers once casually remarked that a significant barrier standing in the way of offering the highest quality of patient care is not being able to "protect time for reflection."

What does this mean? It means we must acknowledge the need to separate from our every day world for private time that is dedicated to uninterrupted, focused thought—and creating that opportunity for ourselves regularly. When we work in a frenzied manner, it hinders the quality of care. Taking time for reflection is fragile and needs to be protected.

How would our work place be different if we allowed time for reflection?