Welcome to the Anxiety Slayer series. Our mission is to assist you with creating more peace and tranquility in your life

through anxiety release exercises and supportive tools created to slay your

anxiety.

The Art of Tolerance

While sitting on the shores of Lake Michigan

to write this podcast, I became acutely aware of my environment and not in the way you might think.

I wasn't focused on the sound of the waves crashing on the shoreline or the warming sun on my body.

I wasn't basking in the pleasure of writing at the beach.

The art of tolerance escaped me. I chose to be irritated with the chatty couple who decided to plunk down 10 feet away from me with miles of open shoreline. I became overstimulated by a barking dog in the distance.

Fido was having the time of his life playing fetch while barking his head off and hoping for one more swim to retrieve the ball. My personal space was invaded. I

judged the couple, judged the barking dog in his master. I found myself wondering, why me? Why I couldn't simply go to the

beach and be left in peace to right? I was totally triggered. The cosmic joke of this experience is that no matter how much I love my personal space and privacy,

I am not alone on this planet. The roads will always have traffic. Dogs bark. People do what people do. Yet I often expect

others to honor my personal space, to be mindful of their actions and shut the

hell up already.

The art of tolerance is a curriculum calling for my attention.

I still have much to learn about cultivating patients.

Does this sound like something you can relate to? In hindsight, I see that I had

several options that day. I could have picked up my things and moved away from

the couple and the dog. I could have noticed the distractions and let them go. I could have

put my earbuds in and listened to a new favorite album by Alex Claire or a relaxing

guided meditation. How much space do I really need?

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