The First Breath

I’m a pretty intense person. When life gets busy I can get stressed out and it shows. I get snarky and impatient and I start spewing to-do lists. I march around in a half-jog and I tailgate. Before you know it, I’m so worked up that I’m overheated and I have to take off my sweater.

Obviously this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My productivity skyrockets; I end up listing, charting and micromanaging the next month of my life. There’s usually also a vacuum and some Mr. Clean involved. But, like any good caffeine high, what goes up must eventually come down. In my case, usually crashing down. So there I am, overwhelmed, exhausted, and completely spent. Three years of university, 30 exams, and nearly 50 papers later, I decided this probably wasn’t the healthiest pattern. So what’s my solution?

I take a deep, deliberate breath and just let it go.

Yea I know, it sounds pretty hokey but when I start to breathe slower, the rest of me follows suit and I start to notice things. It can be a good song, a funny column, or the quiet that’s set in now that I’m no longer ranting like a crazy person. Regardless, I get distracted long enough to appreciate other things going on around me.

So if you’re like me and you can go a little overboard (or a lot, either way), take some time, take in my latest pursuit of sanity… and breathe out.