“Breathe deeply, until sweet air extinguishes the burn of fear in your lungs and every breath is a beautiful refusal to become anything less than infinite.” – D. Antoinette Foy
There seems to be a lot to worry about in the news these days, locally and globally.
I suppose there has been plenty for quite a few years, yet it feels as though the heat is turning up.
But, worrying about the spreading coronavirus, or the plunging stock markets, or the political elections, or anything else over which you have no control, is a waste of your time and energy.
Worrying on occasion is human, of course, but chronic worrying—making it a mindset—will cripple your capacity for contentment.
Here’s my go-to strategy: Breathe your way through the anxious feelings.
Seriously. Take a deep breath.
Now, take another.
Whenever you feel anxious, frightened, confused—breathe.
Then, go about your day.
Breathing deeply and consciously, calms anxiety, reduces worry, and reminds you that in this present moment, all is well—because you’re alive, you’re breathing!
Breathing through your worries will not change the circumstances that caused them.
But it will alter your reactions to them, and help you face them more confidently.
And that seems like a good enough reason to try it.
“The wisest one-word sentence? Breathe.” – Terri Guillemets
