Once, early in my journey through the grieving process, I asked a mentor to help me. I needed some guidance, and I knew there were things I needed to learn if I were going to heal well.
We met over the phone, and the first time we spoke, the very first thing she asked me to do was to “sit back, close your eyes and take three deep breaths, slowly exhaling after each one.”
She called them “cleansing breaths”, and after I had followed her instructions, we would begin our session.
She taught me that those breaths serve many purposes. I’ll share just one today.
Those breaths allowed me to just ‘let go’ of everything I was worried about, concerned about, or sad about. I would fill my lungs as full as possible, and then as I exhaled, I imagined all of my troubles leaving with each breath.
I have used that technique ever since. When I notice I’m getting tight in the shoulders, or when I’m facing some really tough decisions; when I am confused or in pain about a relationship or a loved one’s decisions, I can close my eyes, sit back, and take three deep breaths.
If only for a moment, I let all my concerns go. And sometimes that’s all it takes to be able to face the rest of the day with a heart of peace.
Try it! It can be one more skill to help you manage your own journey – and to find peace more often.
Find hope after loss 