Lighten Your Load - Kristi Jones

Lighten your load today…not just physically but I mean mentally and emotionally. Lighten up your spirit, your mindset, and consider letting go of those burdens you pack in your backpack each day when you rise out of bed. What if instead of feeling heavy, burdened or worried, you felt light, joyous and excited. I feel all too often humans walk around lugging the weight of the world on their shoulders. Folks, life is short, so the quicker you can empty the backpack full of shoulda, woulda, coulda’s, the more you can move through your day in contentment with a playful spirit about you.

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Here are a few ideas to bring into each day to lighten your load:

Laughter: Find reasons to laugh. A video, read something funny, laugh at yourself (always a good idea not to take ourselves too seriously).
Don’t let your mind absorb too much media, negative news, headlines, tragic stories. Stay informed about what’s going on in the world around you but don’t make it a central focus of your day.
Gaze at the clouds, yes even stare out the window for a while, and daydream.
Music. Ever wonder why when you play music you love, your mood is lifted. Sound is energy and has a vibrational pattern that your energy connects with. When my dad was going through his rehabilitation for his traumatic brain injury, sound therapy was a part of helping his injured brain heal. It was interesting to see the positive effects it would have on him from sound waves of music.
Light a candle and sit in a comfortable position while taking slow deep breaths in through the nose and even slower exhales. Don’t worry about what to think about or not think about. Just enjoy that present moment of you, the candle and your breath. If a thought comes, don’t rush to push it away. Acknowledge the thought that popped into your head, thank it for coming, then go back to clearing space in your mind.
TAke mini breaks throughout the day. Get outside in the fresh air for 10 minutes during the day alone with no one to interrupt you. Tune in to the sounds and smells that surround you for that time. Don’t let your mind move too far forward or wander back to the past moment.
Stretch your body and loosen up stiff muscles. Better yet, go for a walk!
Write down anything that is burdening you today or is loading up your backpack of coulda, shoulda, woulda’s. Appreciate that you can be honest with yourself and honor your feelings. Write it down and then take the paper you wrote those things on and burn it. Yep, burn it. Toss it in the fireplace, or place it in a fire safe bowl and light it. I began this at the beach when I was about 20 years old, I made my list and tossed it in the beach bonfire. It is a symbolic way to release the burden and let it go.

Every burden is not yours to carry and lug around every day. Of course, it is your choice. You can do that if you wish but it is a tiring way to live. Finding ways to lighten up, laugh more, let your heart smile will make each day a brighter place for you and those around you.