Truthful Tuesday (September 22, 2020)

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TRANSCRIPT
(This episode was partially transcribed by computer and may contain small errors. If quoting this podcast, please refer to the original audio.)

Each week a new theme. Each day 10 minutes to focus our mindset on what matters. 
 
I'm Sarah Parker, Wolf, and you're listening to the FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST. Thanks for joining me. 
 
The theme this week is “Exhale” and today is Truthful Tuesday and that means today we tell it like it is. 
 
Hi everyone and thanks for joining me for another episode of the FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST. Hopefully you were able to join us yesterday for Motivation Monday. If you weren't, go back and have a listen. That was the first episode in our theme “Exhale” and today of course is Truthful Tuesday and so we continue to Exhale. Let's get started. 
 
So I have this image in my head and I don't know if this shows up much anymore like it did in cartoons when I was a kid, but it's this image of a character who gets so angry or frustrated that his face turns red and expands and expands and expands until he can't take it any longer, and boom! Steam starts to come out of his ears. Do they do that in cartoons anymore? I can't help but think that character took the breath in and never, you guessed it, remembered to Exhale. 
 
Now I know I felt like that -- trying so hard to hold in my frustration or my irritation or anger until I thought my head was going to explode. In fact, it used to scare the heck out of my students because I am a very even-keeled person but I would hold it in and hold it in and, hold it in until one day I just started yelling and finally kind of blew my top. But that buildup of anger and frustration and irritation is no way to be. 
 
So one of my daughters struggles with self-regulation and we are constantly telling her to take a breath when she's frustrated. Well, I know that that inhale is important to the body, but that Exhale is what really does the trick, especially if you add a visualization with it. So the next time you get all worked up and you tell yourself to just take a breath. Try this. 
 
Visualize fresh clean air coming into your body as you inhale. Don't just do it, see it. Then on the Exhale, visualize the air that you were blowing out being filled with all the frustrated thoughts and feelings. All of that crap swirling around in your mind and body, and just exhale that mess right out of yourself. 
 
If you can, if you're not driving or something, if you can close your eyes right now and let's give it a test run. So as we inhale, take a breath in and visualize that clean fresh air. I like to visualize it as having a nice blue tinge to it. You might just think of it as very clear and pure, but picture it entering in your body and filling your lungs. And now visualize as you exhale any and all of that frustration you can find anywhere in your body. I picture it as being super muddy and just gross looking. 
 
So in comes the good stuff and as it cycles back out all of that nonsense. All of that muddy muck comes right out. It feels good, right? 
 
So today we simply tell ourselves:  In times of frustration, I exhale. 
 
In times of frustration, I exhale... with a bit of visualization, of course. It really does help. 
 
Let's put it into practice. Let's take that deep breath in all that fresh, clean air. And let it all go all the muck and mud of our frustration and anxiety one more time. All that nice clean fresh air. And then let go of all the mud and muck and say to yourself... 
 
In times of frustration, I exhale. (repeated over relaxing music) 
 
Thank you so much for sharing your time with me today and if you are enjoying the FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST, please join us each and every day. Never miss and episode when you subscribe or follow us on your favorite podcast app. And of course, if you have a minute, we always appreciate our rating or a review, but the most important wonderful thing you can do for us is to share this podcast with a friend who you think might enjoy it. Please also check my website sarahparkerwolf.com. If you sign up for my weekly email every Monday morning in your inbox, you will receive a printable of the week's intentions so that you can refer back to them as you need to, if you need to refocus during the week. And you can also find audio and transcripts of all of our episodes there, and you could also connect with us on Facebook, just type in FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST into the search bar and you will find us there.  
Alright everyone, let's go out. live with intention, love like crazy. remember to exhale, and have a great day. 
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