TAKE TIME TO BREATHE

At times in life, you may question if you have made the right decisions. You may run through various scenarios in your mind, contemplating if you are in the best position or if you made the wrong choice. In those moments of stress, it can be helpful to keep some thoughts in mind about the roads we take in life.

In a world full of endless choices, it's natural to wonder about the path we should take. It can feel like each decision is a well-paved road that we must follow to reach a specific destination.

Although we often use the term "path" metaphorically, it's interesting to consider how the perception of paths has changed throughout history. As physical roads have become more defined, choosing a path in life can feel similarly concrete.

While many of us travel on manufactured, paved roads each day, there was a time when humans took journeys on less clearly defined paths. Although streets made of materials like cobblestones have existed for a long time, there was a time when our physical paths were more winding and contoured around the landscape.

As our world has become faster with the advent of cars, trains, and planes, we tend to view the idea of "choosing a path" in a streamlined way. However, even when decisions are made quickly, it's important to be kind to ourselves and acknowledge the stress and exhaustion that can come with making big decisions in a world with endless options.

The act of making decisions has existed for generations, but the speed of modern life has increased the pace of decision-making. In a single lunch conversation with a friend, you may be asked about choices related to relationships, career, or moving to a different city while trying to decide from twenty different options on the menu.

In a world with so many options and decisions, it matters more than ever to take time to breathe and be kind to ourselves. We can seek help without feeling like we're being "too much" and create space to take the pressure off ourselves while making big decisions. Even if we travel on big highways or railways each day, we can still find ways to take breaks and alleviate stress, as if we were moving slowly through a winding path in the forest or strolling through a park. For whatever decisions we are faced with in life, we are free to explore other ways of thinking about how we might move forward and how we might breathe through it.

More in this week's series called "A Moment To Exhale", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols