Soothing Yourself
My heart is not proud, Yahweh,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul.
- Psalm 131:1-2
David is self-soothing, not because it was a fad but because he needed to get his focus back. Notice how he integrates all parts of himself:
Heart/emotions: My heart is not proud, Yahweh
Body/sensations: My eyes are not haughty
Mind/thoughts: I do not concern myself with great matters
Soul/being: I have calmed and quieted my soul
The goal of this integration is to get to a spot of quiet so that he can focus on God (we’ll look at how he does that tomorrow). So today, let’s take shot at this sort of integration. It may feel clunky at parts, and that’s fine. The goal is to press into learning how to do this kind of self-care so that we can draw close to God. So take a few moments to try these simple exercises in order:
Ask yourself, what emotions am I experiencing right now? (Don’t judge them or even spend energy feeling them - just note them)
Breath deeply three times. Imagine your stress and strain flowing out of your lungs with your breath.
Ponder this: what thoughts and ideas have continued to show up in my mind the past few days? Hold those in your mind gently and without critique and gently surrender them to God.
Now: just be still for a few moments before God.
…
Amen.