Five Minute Fridays,  Health, Wellness, & Self Care,  Messy Faith,  Personal and Spiritual Ramblings,  Recovering Perfectionist,  Whitespace: one word for 2014

Exhale {Five Minute Friday}

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I breathe in and exhale. I do it multiple times a day, whenever I feel the heart racing too quickly or my body tensing up. I’ve learned that the physical reaction to stress comes first – and disarming it is the key to true relaxation and dealing with the mental and emotional ramifications.

Sometimes I exhale the stress of a moment. Other times I exhale the stress of a lifetime.

I’m learning that recovery is a long process, and that I have to be easy on myself. Whitespace means not even reading a book, not even trying to process things mentally, just giving myself a break. Exhaling.

I have six months to go of whitespace and I already want to renew this word again for next year. I am a better person for letting go, cooking less, stressing less, blogging less, doing less, being less.

I am a better person for breathing more, resting more, relaxing more, healing more, giving myself more,…exhaling more.

For a long time I’ve been frantic to get to a place of wholeness. I want to be better and I want it now. I’ve learned that it simply isn’t that easy.

So for today, I’ll settle for resting. For whitespace. For exhaling.

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Linking up today with Lisa Jo Baker for Five Minute Friday. Bloggers are given a writing prompt (topic) and told to write for five minutes. “No editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.” Today’s topic is “Exhale.” 

7 Comments

  • Aliyah

    Hi Aprille – I am visiting from Lisa Jo. I have not read Bonnie’s whitespace book but many of these realities that are in her book, God has shared with me over time. EVen today, He was telling to just be and its really hard sometimes, we got to learn so much on this daily journey of life. May we find the ability within us to truly live out this way of being even when people and things around us are out of control! Many blessings Aliyah (setapartwarrior.blogspot.com)

  • christywillard

    This post makes so much sense to me! I feel like I’m in a similar place, Aprille. Whitespace — I like looking at it that way. And I, too, have felt the benefits of doing less. Many blessings on your journey towards wholeness.

    Christy @ A Heartening Life
    http://www.ahearteninglife.com

  • bunkie68

    Visiting from FMF – I think I could use some whitespace, too. And that’s hard for me to do – I tend to want to go, to do, to not just sit still. Thank you for the reminder that we really do need that time to just breathe and be still and know.

  • Karrilee Aggett

    ” Whitespace means not even reading a book, not even trying to process things mentally, just giving myself a break. Exhaling.” I love this! I have been stepping back and slowing down too and it is hard for me to give myself permission to accomplish nothing in a day… to nap if needed, or simply sit in the quiet! I love that you are doing this… and that it is working! (That helps me to relax into it a bit more myself!)

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