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Rush. Rush. Breathe. Rush. Rush. Breathe.

Dec 20, 2018 | Weekly Message | 1 comment

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Can you tell it’s the week before Christmas?  It’s the time of year when EVERYTHING!!! needs to be done by Tuesday!  Here at work, the deadline is Monday, which makes the rush even rushier.  Since we are closed between Christmas and New Year’s, there is just a little more pressure to get EVERYTHING done.  Like how about 4 orders of service this week?  (I always feel sorry for Tish in this runup to the holidays since she’s the producer of those orders of service.)  Or making sure that all the things you appreciate about our Christmas Eve services will be ready when you arrive?  Or paying all the bills that fall next week this week?  Or making plans for the beginning of January?  It’s all craziness.  Who has time to breathe?
    Home life is no better, and I don’t even have any kids.  But the rushing around, deciding what can be put off (my famous Christmas letter–I actually have fans but no one cares if it comes before Christmas) and what can’t (mail those presents to the out-of-towners NOW!!!!!), and still fitting in meals(!) and sleep(!!) seems impossible.  Breathe, you say?

    OK.  Here.  I can’t do this very well, but maybe YOU can.

A great, simple breathing exercise for calming both the nervous system and the overworked mind is a timed breath where the exhale is longer than the inhale. When your exhale is even a few counts longer than your inhale, the vagus nerve (running from the neck down through the diaphragm) sends a signal to your brain to turn up your parasympathetic nervous system and turn down your sympathetic nervous system. So, count to 2 in, hold for one, count to 4 out.  Simple enough.  And the count doesn’t matter at all, just longer exhales than inhales.  I can do THAT.  But this only works if you do it for 5 minutes!  Yikes!  Well, as I said, maybe this will help YOU.

    But whether you can manage to fit in a slow breath or not, celebrate well, celebrate happily, or just hunker down and endure. Do what works for you. 
Linda Topp, Director of Administration
 
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1 Comment

  1. Rev. Joy Christi
    Rev. Joy Christi on December 21, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    I love that breath exercise! I also just sit quietly and watch the lights on my tree.
    Being in the sacred stillness and sitting just for five focused minutes helps, not only me, but those around me. May this season of richness (even in the frantic activity) bring our community wonder, laughter, and yes sacredness of the love we share!
    Blesssings to one and all.

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