Breaking the loop of bad thoughts

I’ve been running low and sleep which causes me to run low on self-esteem. I needed a temporary fix and I found one when talking with a fellow Praxis participant: intentional breathing.

When I breath on purpose, not on automatic, I become re-focused on why I’m here. When I become aware of my breathing, I become aware of everything. It’s like a fish realizing that it’s swimming in water.

When I have low self-esteem. I have this thought that goes on repeat in my head: Everything’s f*cked. Over and over. I don’t think about how f*ed everything is. Usually I don’t even notice that I’m thinking it. I just notice this thought in the back of my head once I focus on my breathing. And not just this thought, many dangerous ones that float around.

My thoughts before and after being aware of my breathing:

  • Everything’s f*cked
    • Breath in
    • Breath out
  • Everything is fine
  • Everything is falling apart
    • Breath in
    • Breath out
  • Everything is falling into place
  • This is impossible
    • Breath in
    • Breath out
  • This is difficult
  • I’m going to fail
    • Breath in
    • Breath out
  • It’s going to take more than one try to get this right

Life is hard. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And don’t forget to breathe