Do you feel like you’ve been holding your breath? And now that things are changing do you want to take a deep inhale?
There’s something about spring that makes me want to take a deep breath, to inhale both physically and metaphorically.
Inhaling holds many possibilities, it can be literal, taking a deep breath, and it can mean things like learning, trying new things or noticing.
I’m a day late with this message. My excuse — taking advantage of the wild flowers blooming near where I live. Over the last week I couldn’t stop going out, wandering the trails, pausing to look at the green hills (a special sight in California), the orange poppies, the purple lupin and so much more. Walking and noticing these beauties is part of my inhale. And after holding my breath for the last year, I knew I needed to just breathe and be.
And there are other ways of inhaling, particularly through learning from others. Whether that’s reading books and articles, listening to podcasts or watching and learning from incredible online courses that are offered, often for free, this also feels like a big inhale.
And with each inhale you get to learn something new. And then you can use or share that new awareness or knowledge — that’s the exhale.
In a way, the ”inhale, learn, exhale” is like box breathing. Box breathing involves inhaling for a count of 5, holding for a count of 5 and then exhaling for a count of 5. Box breathing helps you calm your nervous system. All three steps, inhale-hold-exhale, are necessary.
What do you want to inhale? What does that paused breath mean to you? How can you share what you’ve learned – your unique talents, strengths and wisdom or your love and kindness? How do you want your exhale to look and feel like?
It might be inhaling connection, seeing friends and family. The pause might mean reflecting on who you want to connect with and how. Paying attention to which connections feel great and fill your soul. And then adding more of the connections that feel good to you.
Or it might be inhaling creativity – trying out painting or natural dying or dance and then sharing what you’ve learned or created to inspire others.
Whatever you choose, I hope it’s restorative, fun and joyful.
If you’d like to dig deeper into how to start creating a life you love, my free guide, 3 Steps to Having a Meaningful Life You Love, is a great place to start designing your future —a life with more energy, engagement, and clarity.