Paws and Effect: Navigating Unexpected Life Changes
Four weeks ago I ended my doggie rehome experiment.
Like many experiments, things didn’t go as planned, but I did learn some important lessons/information. I started the experiment with the hypothesis that I would do better with a grown dog than with another puppy. I did not have puppy problems, but there were significant other ones.
Two weeks ago I found out a puppy was available from the breeder that my last dog, Jasmine, came from. Not only was it the same breeder but this puppy would have been Jasmine’s great great grandnephew (or something like that).
I met him a little over a week ago and he came home last Friday, so my world has been consumed by prepping for a puppy and then dealing with the actual puppy.
Devising ways to keep him busy and safe and me sane has been A LOT, confirming, in part, my original hypothesis.
It reminds me of the many times I’ve been thrust into a new all-consuming situation, like starting patient care in year three of medical school, the first day of internship, and opening my practice. My focus narrows as I try to ensure I excel in the new situation. Sometimes to the detriment of all the other things that keep life going.
Things like cooking, cleaning and generally remembering to take care of myself in addition to the all-consuming whatever. I tend to get serious tunnel vision and my life shrinks to that one thing.
In these moments I need to remember to not completely lose sight of the greater landscape of my life so I don’t miss birthdays (two near misses this week!), deadlines, and routine life maintenance as I attempt to be the best at whatever new thing has taken over my life. It’s important to lift my gaze to survey the lay of the land and even the far horizon.
This especially means remembering to pay attention to my social connections. That’s the part of life I tend to neglect the most when I get tunnel vision and feel “too busy”. Studies have shown, however, that social connection improves an overall sense of well-being, health, and longevity.
When whatever I’m focused on feels overwhelming and all consuming, that’s when I need those connections the most to help me navigate the new path through the landscape of my life.
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