good day!

[jaeutijo]

So far, today has been rather epic. I did sleep well last night, and woke this morning feeling refreshed...that has been a day or two since that has happened. Work was great today, had some great interactions with many folks today, and I am now at home, feeling positive. I am taking some friends out to dinner tonight, as soon as my darling wife gets home.

This is the weird thing about this darn disorder....you never know what sort of a day you will have. But one thing that works well for me is mindfulness. There are many mindfulness exercises out there, some that have you just sit and focus on some object, and take time to observe it from every angle, its texture, its color, its shape, etc... The one that works best for me is deep breathing and guided imagery. I will relax myself by sitting up straight, feet squarely planted on the floor. I start by concentrating on my breathing, slow, methodically deep breaths, I then concentrate on my feet, while maintaining my breathing, and I concentrate on the feeling of the soles of my feet, then my ankles, all the way up to the top of my head, I get 'in tune' with my physical body. Then I go somewhere in my mind. I recall images of my favorite vacation spot, which for me, is in the mountains on a lake. I continue to breathe deeply for several minutes, and picturing that place in my mind, I imagine the cool breeze blowing against my skin, the warmth of the sun on my face, and the smell of pine and fir trees, it is very calming.

Another thing I love to do, which I need to do more of is meditating on a portion of the Psalms. David was quite the individual. His words give voice to my pain and sorrow. When my anxiety gets the best of me, I can always find words that comfort and bring me hope. That's exactly what I did last night. I meditated on Psalm 55.22, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved." I thought about each phrase of that one verse, and I pictured myself releasing my burdens...I tend to hang on to things, that that keeps me in a ball of "doo doo". so I sat last night hands on my knees palm side up and hands wide open, and I just had some Jesus time, I asked Him to take my specific burdens away, I named each one, and I felt them leave me. I was then able to go to be and be asleep before 10 minutes were up. That was amazing for me...as I usually take an hour or more to fall asleep.

I hope others out there are having a good day as well.

[Windy101]

So glad that you had a great day. Here's to many more! Thanks for sharing your positive approach.