One Breath
“Confine yourself to the present.” — Marcus Aurelius
This writing is Certified Human
The Obstacle
Life is busy all the time, from one thing to the next. We forget to breathe, but thankfully, our body does it for us.
Our lives are stuck in the urgency of the modern world. Our eyes, brains, ears, and all our senses are constantly stimulated by incoming media and demands for attention.
We forget to simply take a breath now and then.
One deep breath can help reset our attention and nervous system and put us back on track. It can stop us from making a mistake or saying something that we shouldn't.
But we don't even seem to have the time or attention for that.
The Gift and Opportunity
The good news is that our body breathes for us. The better news is that we can take over now and then with a manual breath.
It sounds simple, but one intentional breath with our eyes closed can help reset our nervous system and put us back on track.
We can set a timer or have trip wires in our environment that remind us to simply take a breath.
Maybe it's every hour, when an email comes in, or when we check our phone. Maybe it's when we see a colleague for the first time, before talking to our partner or children, or before entering the house after work.
There are lots of ways to set up our environment to remind us to take a single breath, reset, and recalibrate before re-engaging.
Try it now. Close your eyes. Take one deep breath. Follow it all the way in, hold, and follow it all the way out.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
• Stop
• Breath
• Reset
• Begin again
CHEAT CODE: STOP → BREATH→ RESET→ BEGIN
The Why
I'm constantly on the move from one thing to the next. From the time I wake up, I let the dogs out, stretch, get the kids up, feed them, take them to school, make coffee, and get to work. Then I try to work out, do chores after work, pick the kids up from school, and get them to sports.
A constant stream of media and demands is coming into my eyes and ears, reminding me of all the things I have to do.
It's hard to remember to simply breathe, to reset between tasks, and not to say something stupid or snappy because I'm in a rush to do something else.
Having a timer and remembering to reset with a single breath every hour or so helps my focus and attention. It helps me reset priorities, recalibrate my emotions and mood, and decide what's important to move on with.
It sounds simple, but it's very effective.
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