Overcoming Anxiety with Your Breath
Overcoming Anxiety with Your Breath
The following poem was inspired by mindfulness meditation using both personal feelings and collective thoughts of others who experience anxiety.
Sometimes I am flooded with anxiety
Worried about future responsibilities, how I can be better, and if I am enough
Sometimes I am plagued by the past, bombarded by questions of what if and if only.
Like bumble bees anxiety buzzes in my heart then swarms into my core
As every muscles in my body tenses, the desire to curl up, turn off, and check out pulses through me
My breathe shallow and stagnant; my body craves fluidity
Slowly, gently, deeply, I inhale life into my lungs
Slowly, gently, deeply, I exhale the specks of anxiety and worry that cloud my soul
Like whispers from the ocean, the eb and flow of my breath brings my spirit back to shore
Before rigid and cold, my heart now softens, my nose tingles, and wet warm tears dampen my face
Even in the darkest hour, peace is always within reach
Connections that have cultivated with others flash through my mind like fireflies in the night
I can feel now, in the tips of my fingers remembering those who squeezed me tightly when my heart was shattered
I can see hope now, through the soft glow around me remembering the children and families I worked with who lifted their heads at sunrise pressing on to live a life worth fighting in spite of tragic circumstances
I can hear now, the compassionate voice of my spirit remembering the blissful words it has told me time and time again, "This moment is yours. May the love of this life always fill your soul."
-Cameron Dumas, Child, Adolescent, Parent Specialist