How do you forget to breathe?

As a young adult I had a lot that I wanted to accomplish. For everything that I wanted to accomplish, it seemed that I had at least two obstacles for every goal. I had three children and I was in a toxic relationship. On top of it all I was reconnecting with my mother and trying to manage childhood trauma. Raising children is a big emotional hill to climb. I was a mess. My anxiety was a mess and I was trying to be fine. I was extremely fearful. On the outside you would see a young mom trying, on the inside it was my heart fluttering, and trouble breathing. I was beyond scared.

The feeling of being out of control was overwhelming. I was subconsciously cutting off my own breath. Stress was heavily impacting my breathing. I felt lost. I was hurt and in emotional pain. I found hope in one meeting.

Someone introduced me to mindfulness. I learned to breathe at twenty-five years old. I learned to feel my diaphragm and breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. Eventually I attached it to visualization and it changed my life but that simple session, learning how to breathe changed my life. That might sound off to you, But I felt myself crashing and burning; the change was well needed.

Before I knew it, I was getting statements like "You are so (me) calm," and "You are so patient." Wow, you talk about something that felt ironic. They considered me calm and patient after all that I been through. I learned to start to put myself in control. I got to a place where I can stay calm in times of panic.

To add, I was a better parent. I wasn't as mad when my 3-year-old was drawing on the wall. Most importantly I was able to manage my son's behaviors. Around this time, my middle child had severe stomach pains due to an allergy issue. He was irritable, angry and was displaying challenging behaviors. He didn't understand that the pain was internal.

Taking steps to be more mindful allowed me to be more mindful. This allowed me to manage appointments and advocate for what he was not able to speak.

Meditation + Mindfulness = A better person