This was the first time I had joined the “Word for the Year” brigade, choosing just one word of intention to inspire, motivate and encourage me throughout 2018.
You may remember I wasn’t fussed on the word that kept presenting itself to my attention: BREATHE.
But the more I thought about it, and after blogging about how I didn’t really like my word for the year, I decided to embrace it.
I wrote it on a chalkboard in the family room to keep it in the forefront of my mind, though after a couple of months that was no longer necessary.
Despite my reluctance to choose “breathe” as my personal word for 2018, it has proven to be surprisingly useful.
Although we all breathe thousands of times a day, not many of us do it correctly. Which is a shame, because the way we breathe affects our entire functioning – body, mind and soul!
My focus on breathing in 2018 had benefits for my mental clarity, blood pressure, mood, digestion, sleep, and muscles.
Whenever my “word” came to mind, I would breathe deeply in through my nose (which seemed to naturally result in improved posture), then gently release that breath (which seemed to naturally relax my muscles). I could literally feel the difference. Instead of my shoulders being bunched up around my ears with tension, they would relax and a sensation of calm would wash over me.
While I may not have recalled my “word” every day, it has certainly become a regular trigger for me to pause and just “breathe”:
- When I felt overwhelmed by my workload;
- When I sat at my keyboard, frozen with fear and inadequacy, about to write some web content, a brochure or press release for a client;
- When I stood at a podium, ready to give a presentation;
- When I was pushing myself on my walks;
- When feelings of anger welled up within me;
- Whenever I sat in my garden enjoying my surroundings;
- When I paused for a cup of tea;
- When I was experiencing physical pain (after rolling my ankle again!).
I do feel my life has been richer for embracing my personal word for the year.
My word for the year has been a prompt to check in on how my body is doing – and I realised that when I am under stress I hold my breath – a crazy habit that I am now aware of, and consciously working to release.
The real test is: will I choose a word for the year in 2019?
You bet! I’m looking forward to allowing it to rise in my consciousness and reveal itself to me over the Christmas break, so stay tuned …
Did you have a word for the year in 2018 – and how did it pan out?