I feel a wave of tension. It starts in my stomach, or maybe my heart, and works its way up. I feel it start to envelop my body – from the outside in somehow, while it also seeps into my brain and invades me from the inside out. It quickly forms itself into a familiar sensation – shame – and begins to engulf me. I feel it taking over, feel myself begin to cave into it.

Then I remember to breathe.

I take a deep breath, and consciously feel my feet on the ground. I call it out – displaced shame, old shame – naming it so that I can separate myself from it.

I take another breath.

It amazes me that I can fall into shame for no reason whatsoever. That I can – for a moment – be aware of something I said or something I didn’t do, or sometimes nothing at all, and plunge into feelings of self-loathing or disgust.

I take another breath.

Each breath brings back to now. Each inhale slows my racing heart, and each exhale grounds me in the moment. And in this moment, I am always okay.

When I am in my current breath, my mind stops racing. When I am in my current breath, my heart rate drops. When I am in my current breath I can remember to pause, to ask for a hug, to see love and joy and connection.

Can I be in this breath right now? It’s a good place to be.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!

Start reading 'to the moon and back' today!


Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and receive a FREE sample from my new book, 'to the moon and back'!

You have Successfully Subscribed!