Utah Needs to Breathe

It's so simple, but breathing could be a clue to our mental health.

Especially in Utah we are results and excellence driven. This is great, but it comes as no surprise that Utah is also riddled with anxiety, self doubt and even depression.

Last weekend I was in a conversation, a person in the group was a financial planner. Another guy complained about the economy and inflation. That is when the financial planner waxed profound and taught us about how an economy needs to breathe. It was powerful as he discussed inhales and exhales of the market as it grows and also rests. As he talked, I realized this concept could help a lot of us that demand excellence in every moment.

Utahn's desire to strive to be at the right place at the right time, to say the right thing, to busily be about doing good might help us forget that there are seasons of growth and seasons of recession. This seems obvious, but take a minute and notice how much of our life reinforces this concept; seasons, plant growth, tides, sleep cycles, even our own bodies remind us of this principle as we bring in new air and expel old about 18 times a minute.

Next time you and I feel scattered instead of laser focused, get tired and check out, or even mess up maybe we could look at the situation as an exhale moment instead of a failure. We so badly want to be growing, performing and hitting goals all the time that we can drive ourselves achievement mad.

What does an exhale look like in your life?

Identifying it might help you see yourself more clearly, not as a failure, but as a part of a system that breathes.