by Michele Lusk- Echevarria

Have you ever read something in a self-help book and it really hits home for you? And then it causes you to wonder, “Can something really be that simple and could it really work?” That is what happened to me recently.  The very next day (yes, God does have a sense of humor) after I read about this process, I was given the opportunity to try it out for myself and see if it was that simple and could it really work.

Five Mindful Breaths

I am currently reading a book by Kelly Boys titled, The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What’s Right in Front of You.  The process I read about had to do with mindfulness and the practice is called “Five Mindful Breaths”.  When I first saw the title, I thought of it as the updated version of counting to ten, but it is actually so much more.

Admit it. We all have at least one person we can think of in our lives that will swear the sky is gray when it’s blue, or that it is night when it is day. And that person is ALWAYS right, no matter how much proof you have to show that person otherwise. Anyways, I encountered my person sent to me to be able to test this practice. I am having a conversation with this person who decides to tell me I cannot think what I am thinking, and that I absolutely cannot nor should I feel the feelings I am feeling. REALLY? It reminds me of how auto-correct thinks it knows better than I do how to spell my name, (auto-incorrect) and in this case the auto-correct person was telling me how I should and should not feel.

Shift Your Energy

As the person continued to rant about this situation going directly into the negative, the anger and trying to shame me, the practice I read about the night before popped into my head. “Okay”, I thought, “here’s my chance to see if it works!”  As the chaos was brewing from the test person, I did the practice described in the book. I did NOT say anything, just quietly did the process in my head. And you know what? It absolutely worked! I calmed down, was in a place of peace and without saying a word, the energy shifted and this person stopped the shame fest and changed the subject. It truly was an example of my shift in energy being mirrored to this person and then this person’s energy shifted as well.

I had every right to be angry and upset, but I had woken up on the right side of the bed that day and was in a very good mood until this happened. And guess what?  I stayed in a good mood because I did not stoop to this person’s level of negativity, nor did I let this person ruin my day or steal my joy.

Diffuse the Situation

Once I realized the gem I had, I just had to share it!  I hope that you don’t have deal with someone like this, but if and when you do have to, know that there is another way of dealing with the situation using mindfulness!  It is awesome to know we can diffuse a situation and cause a positive shift in energy all without ever having to say a word!

*This article was written by Michele Lusk-Echevarria. She is a healer and a teacher of Reiki. As she lives in a beautiful area surrounded by trees and horses, she is a wonderful spiritual soul helping others find their way through their journey.