That’s the question to ponder when you find yourself in less than desirable circumstances. Yes, when we hit a bump or alp in the road, we tend to react; what’s wrong with them, what’s wrong with me, what’s wrong with it. Have you ever noticed that does not make anything better?
Ask yourself the question, how would I feel if there were nothing wrong about all of this. It tweaks your brain, right? It’s almost like we can’t think that. And that is the point. Studies have shown that we have over 200,000 thoughts per day, and yet, we focus on the one or two that make us feel terrible. That’s human, and unnecessary. The trick is to calm your mind and start being aware of how your body feels below your chin. You’ll probably notice shallow breathing, tight muscles, shoulders up around your ears, and a general feeling of stress. Here’s the good news. If you can remember to just breathe deeply, count to 4 or 5 while breathing in, count to 7-8 breathing out, in sets of 10, you’ll be astonished at how much better you feel.
There’s a physiological reason for this. When we are frustrated or stressed or anxious, or body gets us ready to respond by moving all the blood to our arms and legs and the center of our body. It leaves our head, so the longer we are upset, the less oxygen we have to the brain. We literally get into a stupor. Deep breathing brings all the blood back to the head, signaling the body that the threat is over. And then we have new thinking available.
Try it, especially when you wake up in the wee small hours of the morning.