Be Still, Be Present, Be Here
One thing I hope people can walk away from my blog posts feeling is that they read something real, raw, and unfiltered. A breath of fresh air from the "perfect" pictures we usually post, to read real thoughts. I feel I am very open that my life is very imperfect. Yet, I love it that way. Some aspects of my life are harder to love. But all in all my life has always been something I am grateful for.
Of course, I'd be lying if I didn't say I dealt with daily anxiety attacks. Some are completely irrational like being murdered while walking from my sister's condo to my car to thinking I'm gonna die the next time I'm in a car. But sometimes my anxiety attacks don't seem so irrational like freaking out I'm gonna mess up on my kid to never being financially independent and always living in an apartment.
I know I'm not alone in these fears. Some of our anxieties are ones we can brush off and put in the "not so big of deal" box. Others can follow us around like a hyper little dog (admit it, even if you like dogs that would get annoying!). This blog post serves as a reminder to just be present. If you're like me, life tends to get so hectic that it's hard to remember to enjoy the roses instead of fearing they'll die.
Breathing is a way to just give yourself a moment to recenter. I love just taking deep breaths. When Garrett is stressed I always let out a great big sigh because EVERYTIME without fail, he ends up saying right after "Oh man! That sounded nice. I'm gonna do that now." Because he does that, he ends up feeling a release from his stress. Mindful meditation helps so much when you just can't seem to turn your brain off. Mediation in general is an amazing tool for anxiety and depression. It's a way to remind yourself to live for right now.
In one of my previous post I opened up about seeing a therapist and he made a great point at my last appointment with him. He said that labels are what give us these big weights on our shoulders. He instructed me through some mindful meditation and said over and over "Your situation isn't good or bad, it just is." Meaning it's just your situation, no label needed. He then said he wanted to work with me on taking labels off of things. Such as "My body is so bad." and turning that to "My body is just my body." Taking that label away, takes away the weight of our situation. So my goal for the week was to take a moment each day to practice a 5 minute mindful mediation in my head. No recording going. He wanted this practice to be something I could do anywhere, in chaos or peacefully sitting in my bed. My own mind telling me how to be still.
Garrett and I are avid cuddlers. Now if you've seen F.R.I.E.N.D.S. then you may think Garrett is a Ross who just pretends to be into cuddling because Rachel is. But let me assure you, this is not the case. Garrett usually is the one who needs a daily dosage of cuddles, and for that I am grateful! So the other night we were cuddling and without warning my mind started to flow with worries, reminders, and unfulfilled tasks. But I started to do my mindful meditation. I started to focus on how our bodies were positioned, Garrett's breath, my breath, our son, our apartment, and so on. I slowly felt those worries just fall away. As if I were in chains and those chains were just slowly dropping to the floor being released. It truly was a beautiful experience.
I have found so much peace and relief in my cat. My cat’s name is Ole & he’s a ragamuffin breed. That makes him act a little more mature for his age. He isn’t needy & doesn’t have an attitude. I’ve talked about him before but he’s very much become my emotional support animal. I let out a quick whistle that sends him running to my side & purring in my lap. He’s offered me a lot of comfort when my anxiety is raging. He is a good way for me to sit and mindfully meditate about what I love about him.
Be present today. Be here. In this moment, at this time, in this space. You will look back and wish you could go back to this point you're at in life. We live in an amazing time, people. Yes, there is so much chaos going on in our world and society today. But there are SO many wonderful reasons to be alive. Just by the life you live. Cherish those people around you for the good that they do for you. Don't focus on the negative in life. Try to make yourself happy, instead of relying on others. Or a change in your circumstance. Guess what? The most amazing moments in your life won't be that one time you traveled to such and such. It'll be seeing your child born. It'll be "paying your dues" and finally making it to the success you've been working towards. Or simply just falling in love with your spouse all over again.
If you're like me, you don't rejoice that a storm has passed. You worry for when the next one will hit. You don't believe you're life will ever be smooth sailing. So you therefore have a harder time being grateful for how your life is now. But through just being present, whether it be mindful meditation or something else that helps you be present, you can truly appreciate the simple things. I personally will miss my son’s playfulness & want to always wrestle. I’ll miss Beverly’s gum filled grin when I say hello to her. I'll miss the way Hudson slams his arms down and grunts when I've taken something away. But I wouldn't have even appreciated them if I hadn't been living in the moment. So be still, be present, and be here. For yourself and all the wonderful and loving people around you. Your life is worth being present in it.
Of course, I'd be lying if I didn't say I dealt with daily anxiety attacks. Some are completely irrational like being murdered while walking from my sister's condo to my car to thinking I'm gonna die the next time I'm in a car. But sometimes my anxiety attacks don't seem so irrational like freaking out I'm gonna mess up on my kid to never being financially independent and always living in an apartment.
I know I'm not alone in these fears. Some of our anxieties are ones we can brush off and put in the "not so big of deal" box. Others can follow us around like a hyper little dog (admit it, even if you like dogs that would get annoying!). This blog post serves as a reminder to just be present. If you're like me, life tends to get so hectic that it's hard to remember to enjoy the roses instead of fearing they'll die.
Breathing is a way to just give yourself a moment to recenter. I love just taking deep breaths. When Garrett is stressed I always let out a great big sigh because EVERYTIME without fail, he ends up saying right after "Oh man! That sounded nice. I'm gonna do that now." Because he does that, he ends up feeling a release from his stress. Mindful meditation helps so much when you just can't seem to turn your brain off. Mediation in general is an amazing tool for anxiety and depression. It's a way to remind yourself to live for right now.
In one of my previous post I opened up about seeing a therapist and he made a great point at my last appointment with him. He said that labels are what give us these big weights on our shoulders. He instructed me through some mindful meditation and said over and over "Your situation isn't good or bad, it just is." Meaning it's just your situation, no label needed. He then said he wanted to work with me on taking labels off of things. Such as "My body is so bad." and turning that to "My body is just my body." Taking that label away, takes away the weight of our situation. So my goal for the week was to take a moment each day to practice a 5 minute mindful mediation in my head. No recording going. He wanted this practice to be something I could do anywhere, in chaos or peacefully sitting in my bed. My own mind telling me how to be still.
Garrett and I are avid cuddlers. Now if you've seen F.R.I.E.N.D.S. then you may think Garrett is a Ross who just pretends to be into cuddling because Rachel is. But let me assure you, this is not the case. Garrett usually is the one who needs a daily dosage of cuddles, and for that I am grateful! So the other night we were cuddling and without warning my mind started to flow with worries, reminders, and unfulfilled tasks. But I started to do my mindful meditation. I started to focus on how our bodies were positioned, Garrett's breath, my breath, our son, our apartment, and so on. I slowly felt those worries just fall away. As if I were in chains and those chains were just slowly dropping to the floor being released. It truly was a beautiful experience.
I have found so much peace and relief in my cat. My cat’s name is Ole & he’s a ragamuffin breed. That makes him act a little more mature for his age. He isn’t needy & doesn’t have an attitude. I’ve talked about him before but he’s very much become my emotional support animal. I let out a quick whistle that sends him running to my side & purring in my lap. He’s offered me a lot of comfort when my anxiety is raging. He is a good way for me to sit and mindfully meditate about what I love about him.
Be present today. Be here. In this moment, at this time, in this space. You will look back and wish you could go back to this point you're at in life. We live in an amazing time, people. Yes, there is so much chaos going on in our world and society today. But there are SO many wonderful reasons to be alive. Just by the life you live. Cherish those people around you for the good that they do for you. Don't focus on the negative in life. Try to make yourself happy, instead of relying on others. Or a change in your circumstance. Guess what? The most amazing moments in your life won't be that one time you traveled to such and such. It'll be seeing your child born. It'll be "paying your dues" and finally making it to the success you've been working towards. Or simply just falling in love with your spouse all over again.
If you're like me, you don't rejoice that a storm has passed. You worry for when the next one will hit. You don't believe you're life will ever be smooth sailing. So you therefore have a harder time being grateful for how your life is now. But through just being present, whether it be mindful meditation or something else that helps you be present, you can truly appreciate the simple things. I personally will miss my son’s playfulness & want to always wrestle. I’ll miss Beverly’s gum filled grin when I say hello to her. I'll miss the way Hudson slams his arms down and grunts when I've taken something away. But I wouldn't have even appreciated them if I hadn't been living in the moment. So be still, be present, and be here. For yourself and all the wonderful and loving people around you. Your life is worth being present in it.
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