Before I launch into this article, I want to give a grateful shout-out to the Good Men Project for inviting me to write for them nine years ago. My, how time flies when you do what you love!
Showering is something that most people who have access to clean water do on a regular basis. I feel blessed, and don’t take for granted, that I can do so daily. The purpose was always to start my day fresh and clean or if I had a particularly gritty day (such as when returning home from an outdoor music festival), scrubbing off the dirt before getting into clean jammies.
In the past year or so, I have been incorporating a ritual that helps me to come clean in more than the body, but in mind, emotions and spirit as well. Once the water is flowing down at a comfortable temperature I step in and begin with these words, “I let go of anger, fear, worry, disgust, disdain, guilt, shame and blame and all the things I can not change from the past and anything that has caused pain to myself or others. I surrender addiction, co-dependence, workaholism, savior behavior, Imposter Syndrome, procrastination, cognitive dissonance, cognitive distortion and cognitive challenges.” I call those age-related brain blips. I continue, “I let go of carrying the weight of the world and physical weight. I release stiffness, fatigue, mental and physical exhaustion, injury, illness, and unreasonable expectations for myself and others. I surrender perfectionism and being all things to all people.”
As I wash my hair and soap up, I shift gears, “I call in love in all forms, bliss, blessings, beauty, ease, flow and grace, miracles, magic, awe and wonder, health, total wellbeing, flexibility, stamina, endurance, creativity, forgiveness, do-overs, abundance, prosperity, safety, serenity, comfort, harmony, success, living my purpose, opportunities, connection, new skills, being of service and benefit to the world, patience, compassion for myself and others, rest, pushing the reset button, fitness, new ideas, cooperation and gratitude.”
This all happens in less than five minutes and when I pull the curtain back, I emerge, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day, or ease down into peaceful sleep. I have been recommending this to family, friends and clients in my therapy practice as a consistent way of creating the lives of their dreams and desires. What they want to release and what they want to manifest may have similar elements to mine and some different. I encourage them to personalize it to certain situations they may find themselves in.
Some of my best ideas have come when I am showering. When I was preparing for my TEDx talk, called Overcoming the Taboo of Touch, the shower would be a place where I would practice. It would also be a where I would do Laughter Yoga. Breathing in the steam while laughing creates space for easier breathing.
“Everyone who has taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it that makes a difference.” ―
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: iStock