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Breathe and Begin Again

Breathing….and beginning again

Beginning, Faith, Health

It usually takes me a while before I realize I haven’t been breathing and then suddenly I take a gasping breath. If my kids are with me they immediately ask “Mom, are you okay?”.  My head hurts, my chest is tight and I realize that anxiety has taken hold and I’ve been swept along into a raging river and I’m drowning.

I can’t even understand how I forget to breathe, because I thought it was one of those involuntary things. Like, of course you know to breathe. But, I googled it, just to be sure and learned that anxiety and stress can cause us to breathe shallow, or even forget to breathe for just a moment. So, I’ve been trying to learn to breathe again. It seems obvious, but just in case you could use the reminder to breathe, here are some ideas that I have learned that help me to grasp to a lifeline and swim to shore.

Take notice

Once I learned that gasping is what I do when I’ve stopped breathing, I have learned also to actually stop and take a moment to figure things out. I notice where I am (have you ever driven somewhere and wondered how you got there?) and what is happening in my body-what it is I am physically feeling. Am I hungry? When was my last meal? Am I tired? Over emotional? Getting a migraine? Dehydrated?  Often when we are stressed, we forget some very basic things.

I notice where the tension is in my body and if I am holding myself rigid. I try to regulate my breathing by doing some breathing exercises. Basically, I check-in with myself and ask myself where I’m at.

Document

If I have time, a quick journaling exercise is helpful. I jot down what I can see, smell, touch and hear. I become aware of my senses. There is no right or wrong answer and it can be just a few words or a long explanation- whatever you have time for. I think of this as grounding myself and I document it. I could be in the car, in a parking lot. I might see things outside or just in front of me. You get the idea.

Next I ask myself what I’m thinking. Well, that’s a big one…but usually there is something that is pressing on my mind that caused this whole anxiety thing to begin with, so I need to get to that thought.  I just free write here of all of the things pressing on my mind. When I get to the thing, I know it. My heart knows it. And that’s the thing to deal with.

Look for truth

At this point I am usually calmer. Simply giving a name to the cause of the anxiety often brings some peace. At least now I know what it is.
And, so I pray. And I ask the Lord to show me truth. I remind myself of truths that I already know. I re-frame the wrong thoughts that have been swirling in my brain. I declare truth in the next words I write. And even if I don’t know the answers to the problem or even the next steps, I’ve grounded myself in the only place I need to be.

So, today, let’s take a deep breath. Even when we feel like we are drowning, we can turn that moment around. God is right there.
He always was. We just needed to remember.

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March 26, 2019 · 1 Comment

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  1. Tammy says

    March 26, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    💕

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rachel.latham.writer

I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in you I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. Psalm 119:147-148
#powersheets #breatheandbeginagain #hopewriters #powersheets #breatheandbeginagain #hopewriters
Every day lately seems a mix of light and dark. Ha Every day lately seems a mix of light and dark. Hard things press in and it takes intentional effort to focus on the light.  But there is light and it is far more powerful than the dark. #breatheandbeginagain
Christmas cards have fallen away for a long time a Christmas cards have fallen away for a long time and I’ve hung on to the tradition. Maybe this year it should be revived? Maybe a thoughtful letter enclosed in a card that brings words of hope is just the thing. Maybe we could even expand out of our usual lists and look for those in our church or community that could use the extra love ❤️ #breatheandbeginagain #athrillofhope #hopewriters
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