Stop Holding Your Breath

Have you ever anticipated such a negative outcome from a situation that you consciously just avoid it? That you “hold your breath?” I know I have. I know that my creative mind has the ability to conjure catastrophic nuclear-level reactions to situations that when actually exposed, were nothing more a slight bump, and sometimes not even that!

Somewhere in our flawed thinking, we take situations and over-exaggerate to a point of calamitous proportions. In that process, we proverbially “hold our breath.” We wait. Wait for the truth to be exposed or the shoe to drop. Oftentimes, we are trying to protect others in some way, our boss, our employees, our family members, or our friends.

All of this protectionism to keep something seemingly “awful” hidden away is actually having the opposite effect. First, all that attention expands so ‘worrying’ about something does nothing but invite “more worry” into your life.

But there is a way to resolve this. There is a way to stop holding your breath. It’s called relief. Figure out what relief means to you in this particular situation.

Maybe it’s admitting to your boss that the customer went ballistic on your last call with them, and the deal is dead. Maybe it’s confiding to your spouse that you actually had chocolate cake for lunch instead of sticking to the diet plan you both agreed to. Maybe it’s opening up to your employees that they are not getting quite the level of bonuses they have come to expect.

Things may not always feel better when they are first announced, but it leaves you in a stronger position to actually deal with them vs. just holding it in. Avoidance is not a tactic to resolution. Instead, ask yourself, “What is your relief now? What would make you stopping holding your breath?”

Then, in your mind, feel the release of relief. Feel it all the way through your body. Feel the weight drop from your shoulders and let all of that tension go.

Let the feeling of relief be the genesis of your courage to share. If you are already in a state of relief, trust me, the whole interaction will go better than expected. Don’t have a conversation with a bunch of anxiety. Feel the relief first. Then, you’ll have the unexpected courage to face the other party. Reactions from others may surprise you.

It’s probably not as bad as all the weeks and months you spent thinking about it. After all, our creative minds can conjure up a whole cauldron of negative emotions if left unchecked, or invalidated.

However, if we deal with the item, then we can use all of that energy to come up with a real strategy.  All of us deserve to live in a world void of anxiety and restlessness so it’s time to stop holding your breath, and just release the pressure on yourself. And in doing so, you’ll maximize your creativity too!  Let it out!