On the Couch: Mindful Moon

I was on the ever enlightening Facebook the other day, and an old coworker had posted about an app she had recently discovered.  It’s called Mindful Moon, and it's basically a self-affirmation, pick me up in the middle of the day, getcha thinkin’ kind of app.  I downloaded it immediately as I have been in need of the occasional pick me up these days.  I gotta tell you.  It’s awesome!  It seems to know exactly what I’m thinking and what I might need to put a smile on my face.  

For Example:

I had just gotten home from taking the pup I was caring for on a walk.  As I tried to enter my house, Cali (the pup) resisted walking into the shadowed living room, instead opting for the sun drenched deck outside.  Not a bad call right?  I decided to indulge her as I could literally feel the stress of the oncoming day start to creep up the base of my spine.

As Cali settled in to do some sunbathing, I sat down and… I found that I was frowning…on the inside.  Boo.  Why was I sad? It was a beautiful day…what was UP with me??  I needed a pick me up.  (On a side note, being a girl is weird, huh?  We are complicated, moody creatures...sigh…).  So I swiped my Iphone and clicked on the new app I’d just downloaded.   Here’s what it said:

“Breathe in Gratitude.  Breathe out negativity, stress, bad thoughts…

…Do this for 3-5 minutes.”

Ohhhkaaaayyy.   I closed my eyes and attempted to breathe.  Have you ever noticed how shallow and stunted our breath can be throughout the day?  It was like I couldn’t inhale for more than 2 seconds before I felt uncomfortably full and had to exhale.   Like I was choking on my own oxygen.  Do I really go through my day so closed up, so bottled in?  Wow.  

My first grateful thought was…”love”.  It was all I had time to think before having to let the air out.  My first negative thought to let go was…”self hate”.  Ugh.  Kinda deep for a Sunday.  But….I might as well go ahead and get that bad feeling out of my head right?  So I kept going with it, just letting the thoughts ebb and flow as they wanted, each positive, grateful feeling proceeding it’s negative counterpart.  

It was amazing.   Pretty quickly I felt my breath begin to lengthen, to lighten.  I felt a calm, lovely warmth settle around me.  I gave appreciation and acknowledgment to my husband, my family, and breathed out the fight we’d had, and the worry that I’m not there enough at home.  I thanked God for my health, and let go of the stupid guilt that I hadn’t worked out this week or the Chipotle (darn it) that I’d given in and eaten the day before.   I felt inspired that the world was full of possibility and I was only just beginning my journey.  And with pleasure, I threw away the feeling of dread when I thought about the future, what I was going to make of myself, and was I too old to start over?  I smiled when I thought of the precious puppy I got to take care of this week, and I let go of the annoyance that she woke me up at 5am:)  Trust me, I was pretty amazed, slightly scandalized, and fairly amused at some of the thoughts that floated in and out of my brain in those 5ish minutes.  I mean, if I hadn’t taken the short amount of time to acknowledge them and then get them the heck out of my head, would they have just festered, unknowing but all too powerful inside of me?  Ugh.  Not a pretty thought at all. 

When I opened my eyes…I felt light.  My whole body had opened and softened to the world around me, almost like it was ready to accept the day (and myself) for whatever it (or I) was going to bring.   I had this big grin on my face, and I felt confident... and so sure that this day was going to be fun and magical.  So, lovely peeps, do yourself a favor.  Go download Mindful Moon immediately.  It might just save your day…

…even if you didn’t know it needed saving.  

Love and all that stuff,

Kacey

Magical Song of the Moment: "It’s Only Fear" ~Alexi Murdoch