Did you forget to Breathe today?
I know I did! The need to breathe is is so often taken for granted. Yes just the physical act of breathing is something we take for granted, until it becomes difficult. But that is not the type of breathing I am talking about.
Sometimes we need to step outside of the chaos- the crazy! Today I was thinking about it as I stood making dinner. I was frustrated that the whole day was “lost”.
Then the dog needed to go outside. Rosie will beat you to death if you don’t take her out pronto. I was annoyed. See the vet thinks Rosie has Cushings disease. We take her out A LOT. I think at that point I had taken her out 6 or 7 times.
The magic of Outside
I do a lot of breathing outside.. (LOL that just kinda sounded funny- I hope I do a lot of breathing in general). Actually when I feel really stressed I take the morning and spend some time outside doing my morning devotions and work-especially in the summer.
When I stepped outside and I took that big breath , I realized that I had forgotten to breathe. You know that deep cleansing breath that kinda melts the stress away. I know that not everyone feels less stress when they are outside. Some people “breathe” when they are crocheting, reading a book or gardening.
For me it is being outside but it is also creating. But sometimes I just plain forget.
Step away- if only for a few minutes
Here’s the thing. It’s about perspective. Even in the midst of craziness and chaos we can stop and breathe-even if it is for a few minutes. Here are a few of my go to “minutes” to breathe.
- Stop to look at the sunset, sunrise, and flowers.
- Go for a walk
- take 5 minutes to do something I love. (painting, reading, crafting of any sort)
- looking at the scenery behind out house
- Just sit outside feeling the breeze on my face.
- looking at the clouds
And that’s just to name a few!
Don’t confuse this with distraction!
I am queen of this struggle. This is something I battle with and through everyday. Some days are definitely worse than others. But sometimes I buy the lie that “breathing” is done while on my phone or watching TV. I sit down for lunch and begin to scroll through facebook. And when such is over I feel even more tired than when I started.
There are lots of ways we can distract ourselves. we can even distract ourselves with work. I can convince myself that tasks A, B, and C are more important than my time with Jesus. Or I can convince myself that scrolling on my phone is relaxing before I fall asleep. I can also convince myself that I am taking time to breathe by Reading just one more chapter even though I have to get up at 530 am. (yes there are two of those in a 24 hour time frame- if you know the joke-you know the joke lol)
Perspective and Choices
Perspective and choices are what really give us the chance to truly breathe and to appreciate and take notice of all the beauty surrounding us. We can choose our perspective on life and make choices to enjoy that perspective. We can choose to see and to breathe deeply.
How about you? How do you choose to Breathe deeply and regain perspective in the middle of chaotic times? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments
To Check out my other posts in my 100 day writing project (Choosing Courage ) click here.
