I love rainy Sundays and usually enjoy sitting inside or on my porch watching and listening to the rain. And that was what I was doing this morning until some negative self talk and feelings started creeping up on me.
I haven’t been eating the best lately and that always affects my mood. I knew that I needed to shift the energy and shake off those old thought patterns before I let myself sink into them. So I put on my hat, my running shoes, some Dave Matthews Band (I’ve been on a DMB kick lately), and I ran in the rain.
It was perfect. The air was cool, the smell of pine trees was intoxicating, and I was the only one outside. I sang, I opened my arms and palms up to the sky, and I smiled as I ran … in the rain.
I felt free and alive … and grateful. Quite a shift from only a short time before.
I had given my body the gift of movement to get out of my head and move stuck energy. Those old negative thought patterns are engrained so deeply and feel so easy to slide back into at times. Thankfully, after years of working to identify them and shift them, I am consistently getting better at noticing when they arise and knowing what I need to do to stop them or shift the negative energy. Movement, mindfulness, and nature truly help to free and heal my soul.
I invite you to notice if/when old negative thought patterns arise. Notice how they are simply words on repeat from an old script – one that you may not have even written. Where did those thoughts come from? (You are not your thoughts. This was powerful for me to realize.) Are they serving you? How can you let go of them if they no longer serve you?
This is the kind of work that I have been doing personally for years. It’s an ongoing process. Meditation/mindfulness and coaching have helped to deepen my awareness around this. If you would like to try a sample session of meditation or coaching, please feel free to reach out any time.
Please visit my profile for more information on my classes and workshops where I focus on movement, mindfulness, and nature.
(I paused my run to capture this image that warmed my heart on a rainy morning.)
