How has your year been?
Holy Smokies 2019 is Almost Over!
In 2014, during my seven weeks in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, pain was pretty much a constant, but in times of extra special pain, my go-to expletive was, “Holy Smokies!” Said with an extra-long ō. Now just to be clear, I can actually swear like a sailor –– I’ve actually been a sailor –– but during times of my greatest stress, I somehow muddled through the pain with a bit of humor.
2019 has been, for me, a whirlwind of family and work pressures. Although much of the discomfort actually comes from good changes, the busyness still feels like overwhelming stress. More than once, I have found myself swearing like a sleep-deprived sailor over things that are definitely not life and death.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the less critically painful situations are the hardest to handle? I have been facing minor league circumstances with major league stress –– not following my own advice and experience. With the year 90% complete, I am thinking that it’s time to turn a corner.
Do you need to turn a corner?
As we move into the final stretch of the year, with all of the extra hullabaloo of the holidays, now is the very best time to not just talk about “Peace on Earth” but to actually plan for peace in our daily lives. Where are the little gaps in your day that you can fill with mindful rest instead of mindless worry?
I got an app that a few times a day will remind me to BREATHE for just 1 minute. It’s extraordinary how long 1 minute feels and how just focusing on my breath during that time can bring calm to mind. In case you’re interested, the app is in fact called Calm. (For the record, I don’t get any sort of referral fee) See it doesn’t take much to turn a corner – just a microshift in turning attention from “stress” to “relax.”
What microshift will you make to bring moments of rest
to your otherwise busy days?
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