Today is Sunday, March 2, 2024. It’s been almost 4 years since we started the Daily Gift of Vitality and we have posted over 575 messages of connection!
The Daily Gift of Vitality started as a daily anchoring message that grew out of requests from proactive and innovative department leaders at Rush University Medical Center, who listened, observed, and recognized a need to care for all persons connected to caring for others at the start of the Pandemic. It was distributed to 10’s of thousands of individuals through various caring companies and organizations around the world.
Our purpose was:
- To provide a single simple message simultaneously to everyone everywhere allowing individuals to learn and practice simple self-regulating actions every day for optimal health, function & recovery.
- To provide a reliable daily anchor- keeping it simple, easy to learn and remember – that is quick to apply.
- To provide a routine. Each message aimed to maintain a standardized, dependable structure to allow it to be used as a “routine” to start a day, transition from a “work” to “home” mindset or after reading/watching news/social media, or to end the day.
- To create a safe space to rest and recharge. The messaging was intentionally designed to provide a “safe” space and deliberately avoid using terms that could be triggering and common in current communications (ie. COVID19, pandemic, outbreak, election, etc.).
- To establish an easy-to-implement way to keep people connected & cared for despite being physically in different spaces.
Early on, we developed a daily anchoring statement. It can still be useful now and in the future.
“I am [*Name*]. I am doing what I can to be helpful. I love myself because I have kindness and love in my heart and soul. I am part of the global community, and we are all working together to get through this. This is temporary. We can do this. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness out to all people.”
We included an activity to release negative energy. Starting with belly breathing to stimulate the vagus nerve to calm your body, and augmenting with the healing power of box breathing.
- Roll your shoulders back, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Advance the healing power of deep breathing with Box Breathing (Sama Vritti Pranayama).
- Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
- Try to feel the breath in your nose.
- Hold your breath for a count of 4.
- Exhale for a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4.
*You can change the duration of breathing, holding and exhaling to your comfort zone.
Looking back, we can see and have gratitude for all of the individuals that contributed to creating this safe space, including those who allowed us to share their beautiful photographs with the world and those who have inspired us and healed us through their wise words. Thank you to Nicole Siparsky, MD, who shared today’s photo, “Sunset over Lake Erie.”
Good news. Through this journey, we confirmed that around the world, there are humans that want to help others, to care for one another, to relieve suffering and to help heal other humans. We can be stronger and experience more joy by joining together. As Bono from U2 reminds us, “We are the people we have been waiting for.”
Moving forward, our future DGoV posts and posting frequency are being reconsidered. As compassionate and loving beings, please continue to stay connected to other humans and the positive energy around you. Thank you for the opportunity to hold this safe space for you since March of 2020.
With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,
Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP
Daily Gift of Vitality 