September: we can do it.

2 Comments September 20, 2016 drworobec

Guys, I’m not going to lie. My world has been rocked these past few weeks. The September transition is always a huge one for our family, and this year it has been even more amplified, as 3/4 of my family members (one husband, two children) headed back to school. For me, that’s meant a huge increase in my work hours and a big shift in the everyday life I’ve known for the past several years. And all of this whirlwind of change has happened very suddenly, after the adventures of Summer. Whew. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and mentally drained, emotionally fragile and physically exhausted.

I know this will pass. I know it’s the transition that is the hardest part. But when you’re in the eye of the storm, it’s hard to see through it to the blue skies on the other end. We’ll get there.

Why am I telling you this? Well, truth be told I really debated whether or not I should share this stuff online. Part of me craves privacy, part of me wants to keep up a stoic facade, but the bigger part of me wanted to let you know that I go through this stuff too. This struggle in particular, I want to be public, because I know so many of you are going through this with me. Change is hard, and when you couple change with parenthood stress it can seem unmanageable.

I’m looking inward and focusing on me, and that’s what I’ll continue to do until this chaos passes. I’m still running, I’m still going to the gym, I’m still focused on my nutrition and my sleep. I have learned that I need all of these things to function at my best. And in periods of stress, I need them more than ever, albeit I’m getting them in irregular proportions.

Take care of yourselves so that you can continue to give all that you can. Times of stress are not times to skip taking care of you, they are times to prioritize taking care of you.

If you’re going through this transition at your house too, hang in there. We can do it.

NEW CLINIC HOURS

2 Comments September 19, 2016 drworobec

The week that I’ve been dreading for months has come and gone, and both of my children are now in school full-time, officially closing the a-child-at-home chapter of my life.

My son was born in January 2009, when I was only a few years into my chiropractic career. My clinic was a brand new baby too, and it soon became apparent that I could not manage being a full-time mom and a full-time business woman effectively. I chose to sell my clinic and build my practice as a part-time associate rather than a full-time chiropractor, and that’s what I’ve done for the last seven and a half years. My husband and I have managed to juggle our work hours so that one of us is always at home, thus eliminating the need for daycare, and I’ve gradually increased my clinic hours as my children have gotten older. The flexibility of my job has been an unexpected quality-of-life bonus for me, and not something that was on my radar as a 20-something embarking upon my chiropractic degree.

Here I am on the other side of that transition away from work. Taking a conscious step back from my practice in 2009 seemed like a huge undertaking at the time. The feminist in me felt guilty about taking my foot off the gas of my growing career and the mother in me felt guilty for feeling that way. But long hours at the clinic were soon traded for long hours of newborns, diapers, and strollers, and my primary hat shifted from clinic to kids. It’s been that way for a long time, and my “normal” is daytime with my kid(s) and afternoon/evenings with my patients. That’s about to change.

Effective yesterday, I’ve increased my clinic hours by nearly 50%. This is the largest change in my professional life to date, second only to the sale of my clinic in 2010. My daytime availability is skyrocketing, and my afternoon/evening availabity will shift only slightly. For my current patients, I hope that this opens up more opportunity for you to get an appointment with me at your convenience, and for my new patients, I look forward to having much more time to meet you and help you.

If you’re reading this, you’ve been a part of my professional journey thus far, and I hope that you continue to do so. I appreciate your support, and I will see you soon.

NEW CLINIC HOURS:

Monday: 11:00am-7:00pm

Tuesday: 9:00am-2:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am-5:00pm

Friday: 9:00am-6:30pm

Saturday: 9:45am-1:00pm

Body mechanic

Leave a comment August 19, 2016 drworobec

I posted on my Dr. Ashley Facebook Page last week about an experience with my kids and chiropractic:

“My seven-year-old son was complaining of a plugged ear this morning. “Want me to adjust you?” I asked him. He said yes (he doesn’t always), and I adjusted his neck. My children are very used to being adjusted, and you can often find me poking around their spines, wrists, ankles, hips, etc, to make sure things are moving as they should.”

There was lots of online chatter about this, and I received a few emails from curious patients, so that’s prompted me to explain things further here (although I’ve written about children and chiropractic before).

I am a chiropractor first and foremost, and an evidence-based, clinically-guided one at that. One of my patients calls me his “body mechanic,” and I’d say that title is pretty accurate. Like an auto mechanic for your car, it’s my job to find the source of the problem, and to figure things out and help your body fix things up. I’m not a symptom-chaser, I’m a problem-solver. Not everything I do has research to back it up, but everything I do certainly has anatomy or biomechanics or clinical experience to back it up.

That’s why I poke and prod my kids. That’s why I check their backs when they’re snuggling beside me for a movie, that’s why I check their necks when I’m cutting their hair, that’s why I check their ankles when we’re shoe shopping. Because I believe that good movement creates healthy bodies. I get them to move often (playgrounds! triathlons! running races! outside time!) and I check their movement often.

After all, movement is medicine.

***Disclaimer: Please note that I am not claiming that chiropractic helps with ear infections, but rather sharing a story about my kids and their experience having me as a mother.***