Light Bulb Moment of the Week: Avoid your Life Tangle & Effectively Unwind! Part 2!

Did you come up with some meaningful answers to Part 1's questions?  Did you learn anything about the way you treat yourself, consciously or unconsciously?  How can those discoveries help you lead a more productive, loving, stress-free, unknotted life?  

There are some amazing exercises/activities you can do that are simple and take up little time.  They are incredibly effective and can bring you back to your untangled peace of mind where you can thrive and progress forward:

1)   Tune into your breath.  Often when you are stressed, angry, depressed, frustrated or frazzled, you lose control of your breath – you may allow it to get quick and heavy or even shallow and weak.  By getting your breath back to a foundation of presence, stability, and strength, you can recalibrate your body and mind to a place of clarity, lightness, and ease. 

-       Be still, silent, and separate yourself from other happenings/distractions.

-       Take a deep breath in through your nose, allowing your diaphragm/belly to expand, over the span of about 4 seconds.

-       Hold it steadily for about 6-8 seconds.

-       Let it out slowly, either through your nose or mouth, over the span of about 5-7 seconds.

-       Make sure you’re in a comfortable position.  Plant your feet firmly on the floor (if you’re sitting) and closing your eyes can help too.  Placing one hand on your heart and the other on your belly, as it rises and falls, gives that tactile connection some depth. 

-       Repeat a simple statement that keeps you connected – “This is me breathing in.  This is me breathing out.”  You can even think of a location, either known or fantasy, that evokes ease and good feelings.   Tune into how the place makes you feel and make it your present state.

 

Photo courtesy of Yoga Awakening Africa

2)   Get outside and connect with nature.  A walk outside in the sun.  A hike in a canyon.  Swimming in the ocean.  Laying on a blanket in a park under the shade of a tree.  Whatever works for you – whatever gets you out of any walled, floored, roofed area and into the open outdoors.

3)   Practice gratitude.  Write down 5-10 things you are grateful for in a journal.  Call up a family member or friend and tell them how grateful you are for them.  Walk around your home and express these gratitudes for items in your house.  (i.e. “Refrigerator, you are a home for all that provides me my nutrition, you keep my food from spoiling right away.  I am so thankful for you.”)

By prioritizing focus to the MOST important part of your life – YOU (and this refers to everyone); by connecting with your most loved and wanted feelings, other people, nature; by removing your Self from and not dwelling in bad habits & negative feelings, you take control of your direction and focus.  By catching yourself before you spiral into an unwanted state, you can interrupt any detrimental routine with a neutral, open practice to put your Self in a more positive place.

Take care of yourself and aim to keep your tangles to a minimum; since we don’t have the privilege of having 60-day guarantees on our minds & bodies, we have to keep ourselves in tip-top shape…which, honestly, sounds like an outstanding plan to me.

Try actively practicing these simple exercises daily.  A little bit of something good is infinitely better than nothing at all, especially when you can make it a consistent part of you life.

Please let me know how incorporating (more) breathwork, (more) time outdoors in nature, and (more) gratitude helps you and your life.  Leave comments below with anything you notice and share about the success of your untangling!

All the best and yummiest to you.