Breathe

I am doing a blog challenge to get me to post more often and about things that are personal to me. Today's challenge was to post one word that I can draw on during the year. One word that I will use when I am at crossroads or when I am at a low point. I chose the word BREATHE.

Breathing is life, and it is something we do thousands of times a day without even thinking about it. We inhale and fill our lungs with oxygen and then we exhale and release carbon dioxide into the air. Plants provide us with the oxygen we need to live and we give them back the carbon dioxide that they need to survive. It is a pleasant give and take, and part of the balance of life.

I am an over thinker and a constant worrier.  I can't help it, it is just the way I have become over the years. When things are thrown at me,  I immediately go into a panic mode and try to fix it. Often times, my whirling mind can be a real detriment to my problem solving skills.  Instead of having balance in my thoughts, I find myself mired in worst case senarios. Perhaps it is a good thing to expect the worst, but it wreaks havoc on ones emotions and digestive system.

Whenever I find myself in one of these quandaries I have to tell myself to breathe. When I take a deep breath and hold it, I can relax. The heartbeat slows and the mind stops its relentless swirling. Most often this happens to me at night when I am trying to fall asleep, but it can attack at any given moment. When anxiety is at its peak I have to remind myself of my strength word...breathe.

Breathing helps to get me to focus and not panic. I can rein in my fears and anxieties so I can keep moving forward in a healthier way. Sometimes taking deep breaths helps me to enjoy the life going on around me and allows me to be a participant in a positive way.  For me, breathing is not only life, it is a way to live.

So now I am tossing it out to you my readers. What word defines you? What do you call on in your daily lives that helps to motivate you? I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this topic.