Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Breathing Room
Do you give your soul any breathing room? We live in a fast-paced world where we are always going, going, going. And even when we sit down for a moment, we are bombarded by our devices or the television. There is noise everywhere we turn. We have emails, texts, social media, the nightly news, and much more vying for our attention. It can be overwhelming.
Author Emily P. Freeman has a podcast called The Next Right Thing. She is often talking about “creating space for your soul to breath.” Well, she gets a lot of questions about that. Many people want to know how to do that and what that looks like. So in a recent podcast episode – Episode 90: Start With This Simple Routine – she gives an example. She has a routine each morning in which she:
- Prays
- Reads from the Bible
- Writes in her journal
- Reads from another book. Not the Bible this time, but rather a non-fiction Christian book.
- Prays again
Emily’s point in this episode is to say that giving your soul room to breathe can look different for everyone. You don’t have to follow her specific practices. Just come up with a routine that works for you.
Now some people cringe at the word “routine” because they think having a routine is boring. Yet other people thrive on routines.
However, I believe that in this case, having a daily routine is vital for everyone. If we don’t intentionally set aside time for the Lord every day, then there will be days when we forget. One day will lead to another day, and then over time our souls will reap the consequences.
For me, I make reading my Bible a priority each morning before I leave for work. And I can tell you it makes a huge difference in my day. It allows me to feel anchored and at peace. If I happen to miss this one activity, my day feels off. So that is my way of giving my soul some breathing room.
In my Christians Read blog post from last Thursday, I touch a bit on this same topic of giving the soul some breathing room.
So what about you? How do you give your soul breathing room? I would love to hear!
Bridget A. Thomas 
I’m not a routine guy… I really wish I was! Everyday is different. But I try to pray and and listen to my Bible app on the road. I think everyday we should set aside time for the Lord.
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Well it sounds like praying and listening to the app is your routine. And that is great that you found what works for you. I have tried reading and listening to the Bible via apps as well. But in the end, for me, having a physical Bible in my hands works best.
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It’s funny because I thought reading works best for me. But listening helps me catch things the same as I would reading.
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Ah very interesting!
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I am one of those who doesn’t do very well with routine, but I think that has more to do with the fact that our routine keeps us very homebound. So for me breaking free from that routine is what gives me that space to breath. Which is why I am going to take a blogging break soon to break away from my routine. I do However believe full heartedly in consistency. For me being consistent with my Bible reading and praying is more important than having a set routine, though habits are definitely formed through routine. I just get exhausted from the repetition. Boredom is most definitely in there too. Great post Bridget!
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Consistency is key! And it sounds like you know what works best for you, which is important!
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I will have to check out this podcast! Thanks for sharing it! I seem to do better with a routine, which isn’t easy when you’re a mom who homeschools. This sometimes throws me off and can stress me out on certain days.
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I understand! Maybe you can find a time when everyone is in bed or while the kids are focused on an assignment? But I am sure you have already thought this through!
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I’ve been thinking about this some more. Personally I get frustrated when things don’t go exactly like I want. This is something I am trying to work on. But sometimes for me it’s a mental game. If I can remind myself ahead of time that things might not go exactly the way I want, it helps me to go with the flow easier.
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Once I accepted I exhibit a lot of CPTSD symptoms, I learned one of the best ways of managing it is routines. I need my walk first thing, before my brain realizes I’ve tricked it into exercising. 😀 I eat breakfast and do social media. By then, my brain is awake, and I’m able to settle into my devotional, which is new. I listen/watch a sermon on YouTube, which helps me transition from busy to focused, and finish with reading from God’s Word. Prayer has always been sort of an every waking moment thing; no, I’m not constantly in prayers, but I find it easier to turn to God if I don’t set a timetable. Funny, routine doesn’t work as well for me on that one. 🙂
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It sounds like you have given this a lot of thought! You have a very organized routine, which is great. I especially love how you trick your body into exercising 🤣
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🙂
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I am a routine kind of person and find that I prefer to make it a priority to spend time in the word in the morning otherwise the day just takes over. But there are definitely days things don’t go according to plan and my routine is messed up but I try to stick with it.
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I am the same way. Over the last 3 weeks I was trying to exercise in the morning but it left me with only about 5 minutes for reading my Bible. I definitely felt off each day. Since I was getting up at 3:55 am, i didn’t want to get up earlier. So yesterday I had to adjust my schedule and start exercising in the afternoon. And having more time to read my Bible made me feel so much better 😊
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