Recently I read some of Pema Chodron's work. In this article she referred to the discursive mind. Like all of us who have been navigating new boundaries like home schooling, working from home, supporting our partners working from home, supporting our families, and attempting to maintain our own life balance, discursive felt like it described my current brain patterns to a T.
Pema states, "One of the most effective means for working with that moment when we see the gathering storm of our habitual tendencies is the practice of pausing, or creating a gap. We stop and take three conscious breaths, and the world has a chance to open up to us in that gap. We allow space into our state of mind.”
So over the past week I have been creating gaps. As I ZOOM from one thing to the next pausing to take 3 conscious breaths has really helped. Not only does breathing help your mental state it also: decreases stress (think cortisol) while increasing calm (think endorphins), detoxifies your body, improves immunity, lowers blood pressure, and improves digestion.
So the next time you feel stuck--pause and take 3 conscious breaths. As Pema suggests, " Liberate yourself from the cocoon of self-involvement, talking to yourself all the time, completely obsessing.”
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