“Free your mind! And the rest will follow!” ~ En Vogue
A mind is a terrible thing to waste… or is it? I don’t know about you, but I could use a little wasted mind time. My mind is the opposite of free. En Vogue was one of my favorite groups growing up. While this song has a lot of other meanings, the concept of freeing your mind taps into the idea of just being free. Be free to be who you are, love those around you, let go of misconceptions, pre-judgements, and for me releasing pent up anxiety of things you can’t control. Freedom of the mind is a beautiful thing… if you can obtain it.
One of the number one questions people ask me is, “what brought you to Pensacola?” I came to Pensacola for work, and I stayed in Pensacola for freedom. The beach picture above, is a non-filtered view of my freedom. That picture was taken in the middle of February, during what I call my “first beach day of the year.” In February, every year since I moved to Pensacola, on the first weekend when the temperature reaches above 65, my first trip is to the beach. There is a peace and serenity in the sugar, white sand, crystal clear blue-green water, and open, crisp, clean air.
When I envision my “freed mind” I envision lying on a float in the middle of the water at the beach, or sitting on the soft sand surrounded by a light that I typically attribute to God’s light of love and peace. That is my safe, peaceful, free space. It used to be my go to space in my head when I was feeling scared, overwhelmed, anxious or a number of other emotions. But lately, I have found it harder and harder to picture that free space. I have allowed everything else to crowd my mind, and I pushed out my sanctity. So how do I get it back?
I have to make my “freed mind” a priority. I have to fight for that peace. It comes with practicing the habit of bringing it back into my life on a daily basis. Instead of just finding it during the hard times, I need to go back to finding it during all times. One of my coping mechanisms to deal with unexpected flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety attacks was always having my safe space available. I learned to go to that safe space every day, so I could easily access it in my time of need.
Today’s challenge is in 3 parts:
- If you haven’t already, find your “freed mind” safe space,
- Go to this safe space at least daily, and
- Let your safe space take priority in your life.
