Bated Breath

Take a deep breath in. Fill your lungs. Keep all that air inside and count to 10… slowly. Before you let any air escape, think about how you feel? Is your chest heavy, your throat closed? Is your body rigid, holding on tightly? Is your mind uncomfortable? Be conscious of each feeling and thought in the moment. Exhale.

The exhale feels as though the weight has been lifted from your chest. You relax. Your throat opens and you begin to breath in and out effortlessly. Your mind becomes clearer. You feel freedom. Relief. This is the exhale many of us are waiting for.

Most of us don’t even know it’s happening. We live each day holding our breath. Perhaps we are waiting for the moment of completion. Finishing school, a work week or a big project. Waiting for our body to look a certain way or be at a certain weight. Waiting for the perfect career or person to marry. Waiting for a higher income, a home or a family. Waiting for someone or something to change. We live with bated breath.

Days, people, jobs, projects, thoughts all come and go while most of us continue to maintain a normal physical breathing pattern. Yet, we rarely feel the exhale. The weight of the world is on our chest, we are holding on tightly. Anxiety and angst creep in as we worry and wait. Our bated breath sometimes becomes so routine we no longer realize we are living this way. Even if we recognize our bated breath we often don’t know where to find relief from it.

Who has stolen our exhale and how have we survived without it for so long?

The second question remains unanswered, but somehow we have managed to survive without the exhale. Perhaps it is acceptance that each breath we take will be bated. To the first question the answer is, the person who know you best. The reflection in the mirror.

To those waiting for the exhale, it’s okay to be where you are today. And every other day. The moment of completion will only arrive when your days on earth have come to an end. You will always be working towards something, but you don’t have to stifle your breath until you arrive. Breathe in and out deeply in each moment. For this is the one you have and the next is not guaranteed. Wouldn’t you rather thrive in this life instead of simply survive?

It is gaurenteed that if you are living with bated breath you are barely surviving and not even close to thriving.

Take a long, hard look that person who knows you best and ask for your exhale back. Ask for your freedom from the fear, anxiety and angst that you feel when you live with bated breath. Relief is only found from within. It is not in a job, a significant other, your children, a home or car. So even if the reflection is hesitant to give it back, choose to take it. You need it in order to thrive in this life.