Breathe, Pray, Journal, Meditate

I had one of those days where I was just at the end of my wits. It was one of those times that I  had so much to do I didn’t know if I was coming or going.

So after my third phone call to get something resolved and having three different answers, I asked the Spirits, “What is going to make this better?”

And I heard -

“Breathe, Pray, Journal, and Meditate”

I heard it really clearly, actually.

Now, I know there is a lot of social media that talks about “life hacks” and “productivity goals”. While these are great tips, I wonder if it is realistic for me to take a cold shower every day and get up at 5am. If it works for you, amazing. But for me, I’d snooze and not at all enjoy a shower that’s less hot than hades.

You get what I mean?

When I heard those words, I thought, “could it be that easy?” Could I do simple things that would be a good foundation to build on? Foundations are the strength we build our lives on, without it, we see our lives crumble.

Breathe

Okay, we do this without thinking all the time, right? But there is something about being conscious of what we are feeling while we breathe. Is my body tense? Do I need to breathe into the places that my body hurts? 

Breathing long, slow, deep breaths help us relax. Really. Did you ever think about why a smoker says “it helps me to relax” when there is nicotine and caffeine as two of the many ingredients in cigarettes? It’s because they are taking time out to take deep breaths. If I was smoking and took at least 5 deep breaths each time I had a cigarette, I’d be taking a lot of deep breaths during the day!  

It is as simple as 1) emptying all the air out of your lungs through your mouth, 2) take a deep breath through your nose for a count of 4, 3) hold for 4 or 7 (or whatever number feels good to you), then exhale out of our mouth for a 4 count.  You can find numbers to your comfort level 4-4-4 say or 4-7-8. Just be careful, doing breath-work can make you lightheaded so no machinery or driving while you do this.

Pray

Okay, this can mean a lot of different things. According to Wikipedia, Prayer is “an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication..” For example, it may be someone says the “Hail Mary '' three times. Or writing out an intention that you repeat out loud so the Universe hears you.  Some people write their own prayers. Some people sit and light a candle in silence, which can be prayerful. It’s up to you to create that sacred time and how it looks to you. Don’t get caught up in formalities.

Here’s the idea - just communicate with the Spirit World. Send your love to them, be grateful, let your heart pour out if need be. The Spirit World loves us unconditionally but laying our worries or desires at the feet of those we love in the Spirit world can be life changing.

People there are listening - sometimes the answer is no. While that may upset us, the Spirits know the bigger picture and may be protecting us or encouraging us to go in another direction. I know there are things that I have asked to have come through and the Spirits knew better. It doesn’t mean I can’t make my own decisions, of course I can. But I see the Spirits helping us dodge a bullet.

The idea is to build that relationship with the Spirits. Spend time with them, have a cup of coffee with them. They want to support you and what’s best for you. You have free will but you also have a team ready to work with you on the other side.

Journal

So, this is something that I do on and off. I always promise to do more and with a great start off I go!  And then…

I have tried journaling at all times of the day or night. I have tried morning pages, night journaling, outside, inside. But I find when I journal, there are nuggets in there like thoughts and ideas that I wouldn’t hae had without writing what I was feeling. I’ve taken poet lines from my journal and built some blogs that way. 

The most important thing I think of when I journal is to just do it. I work on not judging how much I write or if I’ve missed a day or two. I just write and write and write. I have done limits like 3 pages a day or 15 minutes. Whatever it is, you can get your feelings out and down on paper, along with some major revelations. Don’t stress if you can only write one page or 5 minutes. Just do something and start the practice. Keep it online if you want and password protect it if you’re afraid of someone finding it.

Meditate

Oh yeah, this. “I can’t meditate. I’ve tried.” Don’t forget that it is a practice that needs time to settle and get into your system.  Start with two minutes and build. Your brain may freak out but the more you create the practice that works for you, the more you will benefit. One day may be 10 minutes and a struggle while trying to meditate.  One day may be 30 minutes of pure bliss. No one starts out meditating like a master. There is practice and practice makes perfect.

People are so busy. We have at least 70,000 thoughts a day. Now you’re attempting to slam on the breaks and get your mind to stop on a dime. Well, what happens is it skids and crashes at first. It’s not used to the breaks. You have to teach your mind HOW to stop, to be silent, It’s that simple.Start with 2 minutes, keep adding a minute as you feel comfortable. 

Many of the apps are great out there. Some have guided meditations (no, not cheating), some have silence with a bell to signal the practice has come to a close. Sample them. Play with them. Make meditation a part of your life to have all kinds of health benefits - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. You CAN do it. It’s possible as you work with it gently and be gentle with yourself.

Build your foundation with the things that will lift you up. These four things can get us through the stressful times because they are designed to lift the burden. They don’t have to take a lot of time. If you spend 5 minutes on each of these things, it’s only 20 minutes out of your day. You can shift around the time each day or even focus on one of those things. 

This is self care, sure, but it is also a peace process for you. It’s a place to sort things out, untangle the worries, and feel like you have control over your emotions and life. The investment in you is worth it - breathe, pray, journal, and pray. 

Please share if you found this article helpful and thanks for reading!