Growing up, I had my fair share of stomachaches.
It probably didn’t help that I enjoyed drinking red wine vinegar from the bottle and putting hot sauce on pretty much everything, but there was another major factor.
I didn’t know how to fart.
Okay, so technically I’m sure I knew how to do it but for some reason I never did.
Maybe I saw farting as being gross. Something only savages did.
What a ridiculous way to think.
All the time that I was judging farting, I didn’t realize it was the release valve that my stomach desperately ached for.
You’re probably wondering why on a blog devoted to staying calm and relaxed you are reading about my childhood issues with flatulence.
The point is that we all need a release valve. Think of my story as a noxious metaphor for holding things inside.
Most of the people that I know who tend to be frustrated, angry and anxious, are the ones who hold it all inside. And it’s always the same. They swallow and swallow and swallow until their system can’t hold another drop, and everything spills out in an ugly and messy fashion. That is why it is essential to know your release points.
Take some time now and jot them down.
It could be a person you talk to who brings you back to center.
A cardio routine the keeps you sharp.
Chewing on ice.
A cold shower.
A breath.
Keep your personal list, the things that often work for you, handy. Because when you are in the cycle of life, and a storm unexpectedly blows in, it is easy to forget the basics. And it is this tapestry of basics that allows for sustained equanimity.
Remember, fart every now and then and you will feel better. Balanced.
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