Friday Five - Deep Breath

Today's Friday Five invites us to think of five people/places/things that help us to take a deep breath when things get a little crazy.

1. I know I have shared this before, but the Chris Rice song "Smell the Color Nine" is one of my favorites. The cymbal swell at the very beginning ALWAYS prompts me to take a big, deep breath. Whenever I recognize that I need that, I know that this song with guarantee that I get it!

2. My yoga class is another great way for me to do some deep breathing! I love that my class is so laid back and if I'm not feeling an intense class, I can take it down to super-easy and just breathe and it's totally ok.

3. A hot bath is another way that I like to stop and breathe. I used this one a LOT during my residency along with my "quiet" Pandora station. Thankfully my hubby knows that when I retreat in there and turn on the music, I need to be left alone! The hot tub in the back yard is nice, but it just doesn't do it for me in the same way. Maybe when we finish the area around the patio and make it a little more homey it'll be better.

4. Cuddling with my dog is another great reminder that I need to breathe! She isn't especially playful, but those three and a half pounds of warm love will sit in my lap all day long. I think she picks up on my stress (or just gets fed up with my grunting and banging on the keyboard) and will often look up at me and just sigh which tells me that I should probably do the same thing!

5. Ice cream always helps me to relax and makes me smile. I don't care if it's snowing outside, I still want my ice cream!

Let me know what you like to do to relax and breathe!