Catch Your Breath!
By: Monic R. Hill, Executive Director
Since the beginning of January, I have begun to personally feel my anxiety level increase. And by the end of the month, I felt that I just couldn’t catch my breath. Work responsibilities, societal strain & tension, and still dealing with grief just began to swallow me up with anxiety.
There’s one scripture that always seems to calm me and my spirit, and that’s Psalm 23. I began meditating on Psalm 23 daily and specifically reflecting on verse three. I enjoy reading different biblical versions. The most common versions of Psalm 23 recited are the New King James Version (NKJV) or New International Version (NIV) (and even as a child, I learned and memorized the NKJV version), which states, “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.” This time, I decided to read from the Message (MSG) version, which reads, “True to Your Word, You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.”
Do you realize that breathing and taking deep breaths can help you manage stress, improve your physical and mental health, and boost your energy level. Deep breathing can also help you think clearly, as well as calm you down and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Taking deep breaths provides oxygen to your body’s organs.
Biblical scholars also say that the letters of the Hebrew name of GOD, “Yahweh” (YHWH), represent breathing sounds. When pronounced without vowels, YHWH sounds like “inhale” (YH) and “exhale” (WH). I began to concentrate on “catching my breath” by breathing in and out with the same measurement, and I must admit my anxiety level started to lessen more and more. I’m not saying that the situations that caused my stress levels to rise changed, but my responses to the situations did, and that lessened my anxiety. Today, for me personally, I continue to breathe The Name (YH) in and breathe HIM (WH) out. So if and when you begin to feel overwhelmed, down or anxious, try taking a moment to catch your breath.
