“Together” people have “not so together” moments. Everybody has those times when the stress of day-to-day life makes us feel like we’re about to crack, blow a gasket, explode, collapse, fall, unravel, lose it and erupt. To assume others don’t is a really good way to beat ourselves up. Why would we ever want to do that?! Answer: We wouldn’t. The goal is to accept that stress, anger, frustration and anxiety are energies that build yet can be transformed like every other form of energy. So this is why we breathe. 

It’s always good to recognize the signs of tension building.  

Tension usually starts in our minds with a conversation that feels like we can’t shut it off. We all know how it goes: We’re thinking about things that we could have said or done, or, we get stuck on replay thinking about something entirely out of our control all together. Then the feelings of tension move to our chests, triggering shallow breathing and breath-holding. Before long, we’re filled with tension and our fuse is very short. It won’t take much to light us up. Watch out—we’re ready to let it rip.  

Try to observe these mental conversations. Stop. Take a breath. Then breathe slowly, again and again. Find a private space. Even a public bathroom stall works. Sometimes the most important thing we can do for our personal health and also to improve communication is to stop and breathe until we can regain a sense of personal calm so we can move forward.

I’m @DianGriesel aka @SilverDisobedience — the author of The Silver Disobedience Playbook ✨ I’m a Perception Analyst who shares my Daily Meditations for other Ageless, Passionate & Curious People.  More info in my bio & on my websites.