Genesis 2:7

Stop

Stop somewhere that you can be still. Open your eyes and notice what is moving around you.

Listen

Genesis 2:7 then the Lord God formed adam/man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.

Reflect

Good day!  Today I’m going to introduce a few acronyms to (hopefully) get you to take care of yourself.  Self-care means taking time to prioritize you, taking time to be your best self emotionally, physically, and psychologically.  It is essential to your overall health and if you haven’t made time to take care of YOU, it will be hard to be good to others.  Remember God made you and wants you to be exactly who you are.

Breath, air, breathing, wind, respiration.  Every living thing needs breath!  When was the last time you noticed your breathing?  Breathing is a tangible gift that we’ve been given from God (and there are millions of intangible ones) taking time to notice one’s breath can be a way to notice God.  Right now, I want to teach you the first acronym STOP and BOP (from balancingelephants.com).  S.T.O.P. and B.O.P. is an easy breathing exercise!  S=shoulders relaxed; T= tummy soft; O= open/close the mouth; P= posture tall. Now we are ready to BOP = Breathe on Purpose

Take 3 mindful breaths right now and notice how you feel.

Really notice, how do you feel?  Calmer, antsy for what’s next, something else?

Ok let’s move to the next self-care acronym, GREAT (from NIMH nimh.nih.gov).

GREAT stands for Gratitude, Relaxation, Exercise, Acknowledge feelings, Track thoughts.  Each of these items are practices, try one or all when you have taken some ME time.

Pray

Dear God thank you for breathing into each of us!  Remind us of Your love and grace with each breath we take.  Amen

Carry On

Being mindful about anything takes practice. I challenge you to STOP and BOP every day for the next week.