Living From Your Heart Space

This week’s practice is simple: spend a few minutes intentionally creating a feeling of gratitude, love, compassion, calm, courage, or connection.

Why?

Because the state we’re in changes the way we experience what’s in front of us.

When we feel grounded and connected, we may be more generous in our assumptions, clearer about what matters, and more able to respond as the person we want to be.

When we’re operating from fear, anger, urgency, or overwhelm, those emotions can start making our choices for us.

The good news is we can practice returning to another state.

And we don’t have to wait until something is wrong to do it.

Think about “stop, drop and roll.” We learn it before there’s a fire so the response is already familiar when we need it.

This is similar.

Practice when life is calm. Then, when life isn’t, you already know the way back.

How Do I Practice?

Hint: You can make this easier by creating an aid. For example, a photo folder on your phone with tender pictures of your kids, pets, vacations, or meaningful moments. You could also use a music playlist, or screenshots of favorite quotes, passages, or mantras that quickly help you connect with these feelings.

And that’s the practice.

Simply become familiar with what it feels like to intentionally move yourself into a different internal state.

The more familiar that state becomes, the easier it is to return there when you actually need it.

When Life Gets Hard

Maybe you’re waiting for an answer. Or someone has hurt your feelings. Or you’re worried about something you can’t control.

You can be angry, scared, embarrassed, or overwhelmed.

Instead of immediately reacting, return to the above practice.

Slow down.

Breathe.

Internally connect with love, gratitude, compassion, courage, calm, or connection.

Your problem will still be there.

But when you deliberately create an elevated internal state, you have changed the position from which you’re looking at the issue.

And from that position, different questions become available.

Working from your heart lets you respond as the person you actually want to be.

If this post has been helpful, please share it with a friend. And if you want a simple somatic reset to accompany this practice, try our free somatic reset routine: