Remembering to Breathe

So, in an effort to follow my blog, one of my friends messaged me to let me know that although she had signed up to receive emails of the blog ... there was no way to comment on the blog directly from the email. I told her I'd look into it ... which consisted of me looking at the email she had received and concurring that it did appear that there was, in fact, no way to comment via email. The title of the blog post was, however, highlighted in the email and it turned out that by clicking on the title she was taken directly to my blog and could scroll down to the comments section and comment away to her heart's delight.

She noted to me that sometimes things, like figuring out how to comment on blogs via email, are complicated and that it wasn't just me making it difficult (See New Beginnings). She is right, of course, some things in life don't get simpler just because we wish that they weren't so complicated. That having been said, I also know that I tend to stress over much when those difficulties arise.

So, perhaps I need to clarify my goals when it comes to realizing that ala the title of this blog, "it could be that simple." It's not that I have deluded myself into believing that some aspects of life aren't complicated, because, let's face it ... they are. It's that maybe I don't have to sweat the small stuff. And, even when it's bigger than small ... maybe, just maybe, I can find ways to keep everything in perspective, so that the big stuff doesn't become too overwhelming. One of those perspective-maintaining behaviors has been, for me, remembering to breathe.

Yes, I am aware that breathing is an involuntary action. And, yes, I am also aware that it is not normally something that one has to be reminded about. But I have found that when things start to overwhelm me, I don't breathe -- or, at least, not normally. By reminding myself to breathe, I can take a step back from everything that is going on, focus on my breathing and not on the stressful situation, and regain some balance ... at least to my breathing, if not in reality. If nothing else, I've at least had the chance to take some cleansing breaths, clear my head, and start anew.

It's a start ... this remembering to breathe business. But, I'm finding that when I remember to breathe, things go a whole lot better than when I forget.