Pee’ing on Today

I went to a yoga class once and the teacher was reading a book called the Power of Now. In the book, she said she learned how we are so worried about the past and the future, we are not living in the NOW.  We have one foot in yesterday and the other foot in tomorrow – so we are literally pee’ing on today.  I have definitely been stuck in the anger and hurt from the past and also the worries and fears of tomorrow.  How do you let go of the past? AND How do you NOT worry about tomorrow? I will be honest I still get stuck on this one sometimes (more often than not). Anxiety does that to you.  It’s a scary world we live in these days and even scarier if you have kids. I would love to put my family in a protective bubble. Or wrapped in toilet paper like the old Charmin commercials. 

It really is all about control. How we think our lives should go? How we think people should behave? What we think should happen? How we think we should look? It goes on and on…. We each have our own set of beliefs and expectations.  But we have no control over anything except for how we react or respond.  We also get so anxious, we forget about self compassion.  I know it sounds crazy, but in the anxious mind, we are hardest on ourselves. I personally get really mad at myself when I get anxious, or drink too much wine (which makes me more anxious), or can’t sleep at night. My husband calls me Ground Hog day. He says I do the same thing over and over again and act like it’s the first time I’ve ever gotten anxious.  He may not understand my anxiety, but he can sure point out my anxiety (sometimes before I can) – which is VERY annoying.

I read a quote once that said it’s not about the storms going on around you, it’s about learning to play in the rain. We have control over our own behavior. Sounds easy enough, but on the journey for inner peace and having anxious feelings, it can be quite challenging at times.  How do we stop pee’ing on today? How do we have more self compassion? How do we calm the anxious mind?

Step 1 – PAUSE and Breathe

Step 2 – Self Compassion (Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself?)

Step 3 – Find things you enjoy doing and then go DO it (no excuses)

Step 4 – Practice being in the NOW (Accept that the past is behind you and the future hasn’t happened yet)

Finally – STOP Pee’ing on TODAY! It makes me laugh to think about actually pee’ing on today/myself. I imagine one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow (like the game of twister) and the rain of PEE I am doing on myself today!  I probably need an umbrella for the amount of pee I do on myself/today.  Maybe I laugh because I have boys and they think all body functions are funny, but when you step back and think about it the way goofy boys do – you have to smile (even a little).  So stop pee’ing on yourself! 🙂