“When we observe the flow of our breathing, we transcend our thoughts and are able to bring mind and body into harmony with each other. Thus, we create calm.” ― Christopher Dines
I’m going to start this blog post by saying that I am a sensitive human being. I feel a lot. And I’m not on my period.
Kidding aside, I know a lot of people can relate with me when it comes to being sensitive. I know happiness. I know sadness. I know love. I know heartache. I know how it feels to be special. I know how it feels to be taken for granted. I know feelings more than I know myself.
I accept myself for who I am and that’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I used to dislike myself because of how sensitive I was. But I have learned that in order to be at peace with myself, I need to accept myself for who I am.
I’m on my 23rd day of doing the Magical Practice where in you will write ten things you are grateful for and say thank you for each point that you have written. So right now I have around 230 things written on my gratitude journal. It really helped me be more grateful for what I have. Ten might sound a lot but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually a small number.
This is the second time that I have done this practice and it’s been doing wonders on both occasions. I think it’s because I’m constantly looking for things that I am grateful for in my life that I am aware of the things that I should be grateful for.
But last night, I went to bed with an uneasy feeling because of something personal. I did the gratitude night practice but I still had that thought in my head. When I woke up, I had more experiences that gave me more uneasy feelings. However, instead of overreacting, getting angry and getting anxious, I remained calm and feed my mind positive thoughts.
This is what led me to write this blog post today because I know a lot of people experience the same thing. Whether you had an argument with someone, something bad happened or you had a rough night, here’s what I do before my feelings get our of hand.
Overreacting
Think. Before you hit that reply button or answer someone, give yourself time to think. It sounds cliche but please, think before you speak. You cannot take away the pain your words will cause once you’ve said things. These are the few things in life that can’t be undone.
Breathe. Seriously, breathe. Take five deep breaths and in every exhale, be thankful for the air that you breathe because someone is taking their last breath.
Relax. If you need more time to relax then give yourself time to relax. Sometimes we overreact because we’re so agitated. Take control of your feelings. Or else your feelings will control you.
Angry
Tell someone how you feel and offer solutions. I did it this morning when I faced a situation where I’m on the verge of getting angry. I said how I felt without being angry and ended it with a solution. Say for example you were supposed to hang out with your best friend but she forgot about it. Instead of lashing out, tell her how you feel. “I feel really sad that we weren’t able to go out today. Next time, please let me know if you’re going to cancel or if you don’t feel like going out.” If you had an argument with your boyfriend and he went out with his friends without telling you, approach him in the same manner. Being aggressive will just lead to more argument.
Stop thinking negative thoughts. Once you have put your feelings out there, stop thinking negative thoughts. Sometimes, even if we already solved a problem, it doesn’t really go away because we always think of negative things. What if?
Anxious
Do something you love. When you know you’re going to feel anxious or you feel you’re starting to get anxious, do something you love. Take your mind off of whatever it is that’s making you anxious. Play games, watch TV, cook your favourite meal, paint your nails or go out of your house or office.
Calm yourself with music or podcast. I have a go-to music and podcast when it comes to calming myself. I use Spotify and YouTube to do this. I have a playlist for my calming music and I have different podcasts for when I’m feeling worried, when I’m feeling down and when I’m doubting myself. It’s great to be always prepared because you never know when and where you’ll be anxious. Sometimes, when everything gets so busy around me and it becomes overwhelming but I can’t do anything about it, I calm myself with music or listening to podcasts.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. It’s now 10:41 at December 2, 2017. Quite late but I told myself I need to blog every single day in honor of my birthday so I’m sacrificing my sleep to be able to publish this. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog post!
