Into the darkness. Seems I travel there far too often. What are the benefits of being in the dark? It is a given that we all go there more than once in our life. Some go more often and some stay longer when they do go. What does one do in the dark? Some common synonyms for darkness include gloom, evil, corruption, sin and absence of light. I see darkness as absence of truth (light) in consciousness. In this article, I will talk about the dark times in our life as well as in my personal life. I will talk about the challenges and the benefits of spending time in the dark.
I have found that I allow different things to send me into the dark space. It is important to be aware of the triggers that send you there. Everything begins in the mind including the journey into darkness. As odd as it may sound, there have been many times when the darkness has actually allowed me to see the light. Darkness not only implies no light but it also implies stillness. As a result, that stillness is sometimes the catalyst that allows us to be enlightened. When thinking about it this way, darkness can mean light.
Many spiritual gurus today talk about living in the light, being awake, being enlightened, and living your best life. All fine and good. In my experience however, something far more raw and real is needed from us. I hear a lot of talk about awakening to the light but not much talk about awakening to the darkness. You cannot reach the light without going down into the darkness. Down into the anger, the shame and the hurt. It is important to be honest and courageous enough to deal with the ugly stuff. Be honest about it. Yes, it is sometimes dark but we must go down there and deal with it before we ever fully see the light.
My dark times have certainly been painful. It has felt as if I couldn’t see my way forward. I was scared to take a step because it was dark and I was afraid I would fall. It was the fear of the unknown that the darkness gave me. I could not see what was ahead. All I could do was sit still. In the stillness, I would often cry. In the stillness of the dark, I have often felt depressed and alone. Being aware of those emotions in the dark is important as it relates to one’s ability to deal with them. If we get scared and run from them or run to the light, we miss out on the lesson. We miss out on the true awakening of the darkness.
Different situations such as loss of a loved one, break up of a relationship, and our past can lead us into the dark. I believe there is always a lesson to learn in the dark. I have learned to bow to an infinite point inside myself and just rest there. Rest and listen. I am also learning not to question the darkness but instead embrace it and have faith that light is on the way.
As a kid, I used to be afraid of the dark. Now I am familiar with it and appreciate the lessons I’ve learned there. The darkness has changed me. It has evolved me into a better version of myself. It wasn’t the light that taught me the lessons and allowed me to evolve. It was the darkness.
When you find yourself in the darkness, don’t be afraid. Awaken to it and allow yourself to be there. Then when the light pops back on you’ll be more enlightened and in a better space spiritually, mentally, and physically.
Much love,
Vince
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Research has shown focused breathing to be a super stress buster that evokes the relaxation response in our brains. That’s enough reason for me to want to practice it but there are many other benefits to focused breathing that include spiritual, physical and mental. In this article, we will talk about those benefits as well as the technique of focused breathing in an effort to help you live a life of optimal health particularly during these trying times we are living in.
To focus on something means to be aware of it. So, focused breathing is taking time to simply be aware of your breath. Just 10 minutes a day will produce noticeable affects. Take those 10 minutes perhaps on your lunch break at work, first thing in the morning when you wake up, or anytime you are feeling stressed. I have found it helpful to do several times a day.
Just pause. Simply pause and bring your focus to your breath for about 10 minutes. Focused breathing is best done by breathing through your nose in addition to belly breathing. Belly breathing is best accomplished by placing your hand on your belly and taking a deep breath in through the nose. You should feel your belly rise. Nasal breathing accompanied by belly breathing does the following: · Humidifies inhaled air · Increases airflow to the arteries, veins, and nerves · Increases oxygen uptake and circulation. (According to https://www.breathingandsleepcenter.com/ nasal, belly breathing provides up to 20% more oxygen in your bloodstream. · Improves lung volumes: Breathing through your nose allows you to take a deeper breath that engages the lower lungs. It is here that oxygen is picked up and carried throughout the body. Our organs cannot survive without oxygen.
Deep focused breathing allows for full oxygen exchange which in turn slows the heart rate and lowers the blood pressure. https://www.healthharvard.edu/.
Spiritual Benefits I have found that focusing on my breath allows me to connect to my core spirit~myself. While breathing in, focus on the air filling your lungs and feel it flow throughout your body. By focusing on your breath, you are more self-aware. It allows for easier access to your inner peace. As you exhale, send that peace out to all living beings. Focused breathing is a great time to disconnect from everyone and everything. Take all of your attention inward to the body and the precious air you are breathing in.
Physical Benefits We have already discussed the physical benefits above. Just to recap, the primary benefit for me is stress reduction. We know that stress lowers our immune system, increases our blood pressure, increases pain, and leads to anxiety and depression. Stress is a killer. Focused breathing will control that stress and therefore, control all the symptoms of stress leading to a happier, healthier life. We cannot always control stress but we can definitely control our response to it. That is where focused breathing comes into play.
Mental Benefits I think the mental benefits go without saying given everything we’ve discussed in this article thus far. A reduction in stress alone has the benefit of a healthier mind. Healthier mind leads to healthier body. Everything begins and ends in the mind. Focused breathing allows us to get out of our mind for a moment and focus on our breathing. It allows us to disconnect from the stressful things we are thinking about and instead bring our attention to our breath. It gives us a mental energy boost and helps us relax into our unconscious mental processes.
In summary, it is my intention to make focused breathing part of my daily practice. I have found it useful to close my eyes during my practice but it is not essential. I just feel that we are a very visual people and for me, closing the eyes blocks out all the visual stimuli and allows the brain time to rest. Give focused breathing a try for 30 days. It just takes 10 minutes a day. Do it consistently for the 30 days and notice the positive change.
I look forward to hearing from you about your experience. I hope you will enter your email address to receive my monthly short articles straight to your inbox. I am grateful for your support.
I’m quite sure we’ve all heard the saying, “sweeping it under the rug.” As a matter of fact, most of us are probably guilty of doing just that. I know I am. What’s under your rug? I guess it’s just another way of saying, “What are you hiding?”
I remember as a kid when I was asked to sweep the kitchen floor, I would sweep under the rug what I could not get up in the dust pan. My mother, being the super clean woman, she was, decided to check after me one day so she lifted up the rug. There she found all the crumbs I had been sweeping under the rug. From that point on, she decided to just take the rugs up before I started sweeping. That brings me to another saying I’m sure you’ve heard. “Everything that is in the dark will eventually come to light.” All the stuff I was sweeping under the rug in the kitchen was eventually discovered.
Are we all hiding something under the rug? Do we all have secrets? What are the things in your personal life that you’ve chosen to sweep under the rug as opposed to addressing?
Addressing the issues is more work. Sweeping them under the rug doesn’t make them go away. It just temporarily hides them out of site. Doing the work to address the issues will ensure the area under the rug is nice and clean like the area outside of the rug. Addressing the issues instead of hiding them will keep the internal self and external self in alignment with each other.
What are you hiding inside? Are you laughing on the outside and crying on the inside? Are you pretending to be something on the outside while all along a different you on the inside? Does your inside represent what’s under the rug?
I used to always hear, “there are skeletons in everyone’s closet?” I tend to think there is also dirt and crumbs under everyone’s rug. But what would happen if we decided to keep it clean under the rug? Metaphorically speaking, what would happen if we decided to not hide things under the rug and keep secrets. But instead to clean out the skeletons in our closet and live a life of authenticity, transparency and honesty.
I grew up hiding shit. Spider webs all over the skeletons in my closet. It was filthy under my rug. Secrets lead to sickness. In an effort to be our best self and live a life of optimal spiritual, physical and mental health, perhaps we should address the crumbs under the rug. Once and for all, take the necessary steps to clean them out so the inside is as clean as the outside. When company comes over, we can be assured that the whole house is clean. Even under the rug.
It is my intention to not hide anything in my life but to instead be my true self. If that true self at the moment is depressed and sad, then so be it. I can work to change that if I don’t try to sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn’t exist. If my true self at the moment is happy and blissful, then awesome. I will bask in it.
Have an awesome week everyone. Take a moment to evaluate what your inner self is feeling like. What’s on the inside? What’s under your rug?
As always, I look forward to your feedback and am deeply grateful for the existence of each of you.
Hi, I’m Vince. I am a Author, Critical Care Registered Nurse and Speaker. Welcome to my site. On this site you will be provided inspirational, educational, motivational and thought provoking articles. It is my mission to have this information help you achieve Optimal Health which includes your Physical Health, Spiritual Health, and Mental Health. My ultimate goal is to create change and stimulate self-healing. I would love to have your support by entering your email address on this site to receive my monthly articles. I look forward to your feedback.
Please also take a moment to visit my Author Page to purchase my new book. Grateful for the love and support.
The “Unwritten Rule” In the rooms of recovery, there’s an unwritten rule about romantic relationships. It’s said that a “newcomer” should avoid relationships for a year. Waiting for 52 weeks may sound tortuous, but there is logic to the premise. Does it Make Sense? Within the first year, the newcomer is literally “becoming” a “new” “person.” In order to do that, they must reassess who they want to be. Still seeing yourself one way, while working on “becoming” a new version of yourself, takes work. Most of this work will be emotional. In order to truly change, a person must have a new perspective. For the newcomer that means having a new self-perspective. I wouldn’t be a successful author today, if I hadn’t stopped seeing myself as a drug addict. Redefining who we are entails a new dynamic. While visualizing being a successful writer, I also had to “feel” that success. I had to establish an emotional connection with my new self-image. At times I saw myself as an author, and other times still as a drug addict. It was a constant fight. Being in the early stages of self-care is equal to an emotional roller-coaster. Can You Juggle? How can a person who is redefining their self-relationship, also flourish while in another relationship? Make no mistake about it, the newcomer’s primary concern should be developing a healthy relationship with themselves. Adding another relationship to the mix can be daunting. Imagine you’re in juggling school. It’s the first day and the instructor wants to teach you advanced juggling. You might be okay with two balls, but all three? Without proper training how can you handle everything in the air? The same can be said for a newcomer being in a relationship. Emotions are going to fly. When you’re just starting on your road to emotion maturity, it might be better to face it alone. A “newcomer” is an apt term. Living a clean and sober life means reacting to life differently. Most newcomers need practice navigating life on life’s terms, before finding a partner. Active addicts turn to drugs in order to deal with their emotions. Recovering addicts learn how to respond pr0ductively, without drugs. Putting a newcomer in an emotionally volatile space could lead to relapse. Is it a “Rule”? Organizations for recovering addicts and alcoholics cannot control the actions of their members. Suggestions are only made to prevent relapse and self-destructive behaviors. I think it’s important for the newcomer to assess their emotional capacity. Being honest is key. If anything should be a rule, it should be rigorous honesty. If a person in early recovery cannot handle more emotional complications, they should avoid a relationship.
The Concern We all have our own capabilities. Some of us are more emotionally stable than others. Those people may not relapse over a breakup. But many do. So, the suggestion remains for those wise enough to heed it. There’s nothing wrong with working on yourself until the time is right.
Jeff Vickers is a new author, copywriter and content writer.
After a 30-year battle with addiction, Jeff was transformed by embracing the power of recovery. A self-proclaimed, “sober enthusiast,” his passion is helping people grow in their sobriety.
After becoming fascinated by the power of recovery mottos, Jeff looked for books on the subject. Finding none, he decided to write one himself. The result is a series entitled, “Sober Slogans.” The first book of the series, “Recovery Mottos We Love,” available now on Amazon!
Jeff loves to write wearing his favorite Star Wars pajamas, while listening to Damien Escobar. When he is not writing, Jeff spends time binging on old episodes of “Shark Tank,” with his partner, Sara.
Aside from being excited about the release of his first book, Jeff says, “I’m excited about getting married soon.”
He is currently working on the second book of the series, “Sober Slogans.”
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Vince ShifflettVince Shifflett is a critical care nurse, freelance writer, blogger, musician, and lover of life. He writes regularly on matters of mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.
