S.E.L.F. Reflections: Stability (Mental Focus)

Stability. Environment. Love. Friendship

For Growth, Grace, and the Greater Good

My eyes popped open this morning at 3:30 a.m., and my mind was already racing — reviewing my to-do list (including this Friday Flow!).

Today is a full one. Day two of Speakonomics, a workshop presented by eWomenNetwork (of which I’m a member). When it wraps at 4:00, I’ll head to my mom’s to visit with my brother and sister-in-law who are in from Tennessee. And then… dinner, dancing, and fun.

Needless to say, 3:30 a.m. is not optimal for a day that requires presence, energy, and engagement.

My mind wouldn’t settle.

Until I started thinking about my thinking.

And then I went down a rabbit hole… wondering which came first — my anxiety about not sleeping and getting everything done? Or the thoughts that triggered the anxiety in the first place?

There are different schools of thought on that.

I’ll let you ponder it for a moment.

Meanwhile, as my mind and emotions were busy battling it out, the possibility of falling back to sleep drifted further and further away.

Then something instinctive happened — without analysis, without overthinking.

I placed one hand on my belly. The other over my heart. And I tuned into my breath.

Inhale — rise.

Exhale — fall.

As I followed the gentle movement of breath and body, the mental chatter softened. The anxiety loosened its grip. My mind no longer felt in charge.

And here’s what struck me:

It doesn’t really matter which comes first — the thoughts or the feelings.

What matters is this: when you can step slightly outside yourself and observe your experience without attachment, you reclaim your power.

The mind can take us to magnificent places.

But it can also take us somewhere else entirely.

At the end of the day, thoughts and feelings are not facts. They are interpretations. Stories. Passing weather systems.

What is real is this moment.

And the doorway to this moment is always your breath… and your body.

So the next time you find yourself caught in the whirlwind of your mind, try this:

Pause.

Notice.

Place one hand over your heart, one over your belly.

And breathe.

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Author, Phyllis Smith

Phyllis Smith is the Founder/CEO of Rejuvecise. She is a Yoga Instructor and Serenity Coach in the Dallas, Texas area. Her mission is to help people cultivate clarity, stability, and self-leadership through mind-body practices for a better world. Contact Phyllis at Phyllis@Rejuvecise.com for a FREE 30-minute discovery call today. (Services offered both in-person and online)