So you remember?

Do you remember the last time you had one of those days when nothing seemed to go right? It’s as if your timing is off and you come up against one challenge after another. Well, that happened to me just last week. It started when my alarm clock failed to ring, which caused me to be late for an early morning appointment that I ended up canceling anyway because my car wouldn’t start! I’ll spare you the details of the other annoying incidents that followed but were in no way serious.

I think most of us have experienced such times when we can’t seem to get anything right. It’s as if our inner energy is at odds with the energy around us, like two negative magnets repelling each other. It can make for a frustrating experience and, if we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves feeling that the world is somehow against us, which we want to avoid if at all possible.

Stress can be a major factor in throwing us off-kilter and making us feel out of sync. Negative emotions like anxiety, anger, fear or worry can and do send signals through our nervous systems that can interfere with our mental focus and physical movement. When this happens, how can you get yourself back on track?

One thing that I’ve found to be very helpful when I’m feeling off is to practice deep breathing. Our bodies are made up of energy fields just like the environments we live in. By breathing in slowly and deeply, we actually help to rid or cleanse ourselves of negative energy.

So, the next time you find yourself “out of sync,” take a moment to focus on your breath. Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold it for the count of five, and then exhale slowly and deeply for the count of five. Repeat this breathing exercise five or six times or until you begin to feel more centered, calmer and back “in sync.”

In these challenging times, when so much feels out of our control, doing what we can do to stay grounded or at least try to stay grounded is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and for those around us.