"Help!"... And Breathe
"Help! I need somebody, Help! not just any body, Help! you know I need someone... Heeeelllllpppp!"
Famously sung by The Beatles, this iconic lyrical has undoubtedly spun around the turntable time and time again as the backdrop for many a meltdown. You can thank me later when this earworm is wriggling around your head... it's been in mine for the last hour!
Why Call for Help?
When we call for help – what is it that we actually desire? Putting aside the episodes of cuts and bruises as that call for help is glaringly obvious; rush forth with a band-aid, an ice pack and on occasion, a dash to the ER.
But genuinely, when we feel “helpless”, what is it that we search for?
Safety, sanctuary, self-assurance?
Ultimately, we are in search of SOLUTIONS. We want the answers to our muddled cries. We have lost focus, and may I suggest even lost the questions that are trying to escape us. The one thing that we can be certain of at these points of mini crises is that we can’t see the forest for the trees. (Do you like what I did there!!!)
It’s in times like these when nothing seems possible and the world is caving in around us that we too often, and too consciously, go to the top of mind. Rationally articulating the absurdities that are flossing into our head space.
“If I make this choice, then this is ‘guaranteed’ to happen. But if I make that choice, she/he will certainly never speak to me again.”
With over-thinking and over-analysing running rampant, we can’t actually honour anything close to the truth that's sitting primed in our hearts. The heart-mind connection has been zapped, fused, disconnected - gone kerplunk.
B is for Breathwork and Bringing us Back to the Heart
We must breathe on these occasions.
The breath is of upmost importance to the transition out of head and into heart. It’s the lightning rod of genius. The simplicity of breathwork is one that humans forget so often. It IS our life force after all and as such, it goes well beyond the humble responsibility of moving our physical bodies from here to there.
By and by, we let go of the power of the breath and how it can transform any situation, including the power it adds to our sexual delight. [Side note: consciously breathe deep down into your loins while in the bedroom and you will know of the ecstasy it can bring... and I promise you’ll remember to breathe more often!] When trouble strikes don’t run to the conclaves of the inner mind and dance around the brain maze, instead sit, carefully draw in a deep charge of energy, hold for a moment and gracefully allow the charged particles of insanity and frazzle to leave the body as you exhale.
Then repeat, repeat and repeat.
It will do wonders for your mental state and equally reframe any situation that presents itself from utterly impossible to mildly challenging. Fresh perspective comes with deep breathwork. Five minutes spent consciously breathing into your heart and out from your head will open doorways of decision making not accessible before.