Image source: pexels.com
When the soul is drowning in the sea of clamour and everything appears to pull one into a black hole, that is precisely the time to snatch some me-time and deal with the big overwhelm; to settle into the silence one has been longing for, through the course of the day, and flow into an oasis of calm and peace. It works beautifully. Trust me.
The deepest inhalation of the day might just be what one needs the most then. It is nothing short of magical when one finds how easy it can be to draw in a deep inhalation and exhale away every cacophony, every clamour and din until nothing, absolutely nothing remains that can perturb the soul. That is the kind of quiet where nothing can be heard anymore, except the sound of one’s breath.
Breathe away the stress, the anxiety and the negativity, say the wise. Breathe away every feeling that you no longer need. Breathe away every emotion that ceases to energise you. Breathe away every damn thing that weighs you down.
Why? Because you do NOT deserve to carry that baggage at all. Neither you. Not me. Nor any of us.
Breathing in…..1…2…3…4…and then holding one’s breath, again….1…2…3…4…5… and then slowly and deeply, breathing out to a count of 8, this time….1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…that is all you do.
Repeat. Start all over again. Continue to do so, until the stiffness in the neck and shoulders begins to loosen. Bring the mind to stillness even though it seems to swing back and forth like a pendulum that oscillates. The heart begins to breathe freely again. The soul sits quietly soaking into the peace and in the mind’s eye, one by one, the thoughts begin to park themselves, safely anchored.
Being mindful of every little flutter of one’s consciousness enables one to see how it jumps from one thought to another, until the cloak of calm wraps one in, like the warm hug of a beloved friend.
It doesn’t’ take long to realise that this loved one is one’s own self.
It may surprise you that some days, you will find a lot of peace knowing that you have your own back to fall upon, no matter what happens and where life takes. Yes. Being your own best friend.
Because who else will stick around for as long, as your own true self?
Narcissistic? No, it’s called self-love!
I smile as I type this. Growing up, I was told how important it is to be kind to others. But life has taught me that it is equally important to be kind to oneself.
Now, I always remember to hold myself in loving kindness for being the person that I am.
How ironical that one had to stumble through life and hit a few wrong turns to finally embrace this truth!
*******
Written as part of our #SoulfulSunday freewriting exercise—a concept ideated by Vinitha, Shilpa and yours truly.
Seems simple enough and yet how often we forget. This is something that I’m reminding myself to do more often.
I loved the tone of your writing.
Be kind to All… self and others.. 🥰
This is such a great post. It does take one to go through the bumps in life to come to this realization. And, once that happens there’s no looking back. Things like being Narcissistic vs. not being one yet loving your true self are so subtle that you have to experience to know it, it cannot be told. One has to learn how to live with one’s life, and everyone is on their own journey. Life’s problems will be there but a change in perspective is sometimes that is needed. And now, my urge to meet you has only increased. 🙂
It’s only after we have stumbled that we realise so many facts about life and living. Self love, as I am discovering these days, is so necessary for me to be able to live life, face life and move ahead, accepting everything that comes my way.
Beautiful post, as always, dearest Esha!
Thank you so much, Shilpa! Glad we share this common perspective on self-love. Life teaches us so much, isn’t it?
Your words sound so peaceful. It does take years to realize that we are enough. That we are capable of magical things if only we trust ourselves. Loved the breathing exercise. It is amazing how a simple breathing exercise can regulate so many emotions.
Thank you Raj! Glad you liked the breathing exercise. There are still some things that we can control in life and thank god for that. They make things bearable for us in so many ways.
How beautifully have you written this, Esha. I felt as if I was meditating as I read your words. It was so soothing and an incredible experience.
I agree with your point on being kind to oneself – it takes some roadblocks to finally realize that the person you really needed was always right there and that was you! But we are taught to be critical of ourselves, not be kind toward the self. It has to take some difficult experiences to learn the value of being kind to the self.
Wonderful post, Esha!
Thank you so much for this wonderful comment, Vinitha. So glad you liked what I wrote. Yesterday, when I sat down to write, my mind was very disturbed. The meditation actually helped me calm down my nerves and soothe my soul and I thought I wanted to share this process of dumping unwanted thoughts and emotions into my post. Maybe, someone somewhere needs to read it, right?