Exercising

Learning to keep love in my heart is a moment to moment exercise. And I mean the word exercise in its truest form - practicing over and over again until the muscle memory becomes stronger and more natural each time.

Currently I am in the transition between leaving my current job and starting a new job in two weeks time. Add to that I am visiting Chap for a week during my time off and it is the perfect storm of high anxiety caused by so much unknown - will my new job be a good fit? Will I have a clue as to what I’m doing in such a large, new role?  How will the vacation with Chap go?  When will we see each other again after this?  Is the distance going to be too much to handle? (to be fair, he worries about this more than I do, but when he hits the panic button, so do I!)

I find myself needing to take deep breaths and remind myself that everything is okay right now, in each moment.  There is a fantastic blog post on Tiny Buddha walks through “6 Tips to Help You Free Yourself from Your Fearful Thoughts”.  These are exactly the mental “exercises” I’m practicing to keep love in my heart. (I highly recommend reading the full blog post)

1. We need to realize that we truly are not our thoughts.

2. Understand it is not your fault that your mind is causing you such pain; it’s a product of evolution.

3. Use meditation and mindfulness throughout the day; learn to see the space between the real you—which is awareness—and the egoic mind, as its thoughts race by.

4. Identify the trance thoughts and emotions as they arise and name them.

5. Remember that it takes perseverance and practice, lots of it.

6. Each time you notice yourself in a state of negativity, use it as an opportunity to practice, to mindfully observe your thoughts with acceptance and compassion.