Reflections on Letting Go & How to Cry

Photos via Pinterest.

Do you ever get that lost feeling in the pit of your stomach? 

During the last week or so, I've been there a few times. It's hard to let go of negative feelings: resentment, anger, fear.

I keep offering up a prayer that my heart would open up and talk to me a little more. My mind needs to hear from you, heart. 

I have tried to lay it all out on the mat, to make space for what I'm experiencing, but sometimes I still can't move on even after a good camel pose, or an hour of sweating from jumping rope and doing crunches. Inside, I'm wondering, what else do I need? And, deeper down: Does it have to get worse before it gets better?

I want to cry -- one of those good, long bursts where by the end of it, tears are all over my face and my nose is so full of snot that I need three kleenexes before I can breathe again. But lately all I can muster are the little teardrops I get in my eyes from biking in the cold.

I blink them back and continue to pedal, taking the same route I always do. Enjoying the feeling of almost crying, wishing I could really let go and let out all the things that are on my mind.

What does it take to welcome in all the parts of me that are true? Even when some of those parts are scared, or helpless, or nervous for no reason?

Really crying means giving yourself a chance to be vulnerable. Slowing down for long enough to be where you really are, even if that place is a dark one.

What are your go-to methods for coping with stress, disappointment, or frustration? I'd love your thoughts, and your positive energy this week. :)