The Weight and the Way: A Personal Journey Through Stress
Stress touches every one of us. Some days it’s a quiet hum, other days it piles up until it feels like we’re carrying an invisible weight no one else can see. While we can’t remove every stressor, we can pause and weave small breaks into the day—moments that reset our bodies and minds. This post is an example of one possible day, and how practices like Reiki, breathwork, grounding, and hypnotherapy can help lighten the load.
Morning: Waking Into the Weight
The buzz of my alarm isn’t just a wake-up call—it’s a reminder of everything waiting. Deadlines, emails, the news. My body responds before I do: jaw tight, shoulders knotted. Stress isn’t bad in itself; it’s our survival system. But when it runs nonstop, it erodes us. I feel like Frodo with the Ring—its weight invisible to others, yet heavy with every step.
Midday: Meeting the Dragons
By noon, stress is louder. A difficult conversation leaves me raw, then I scroll the headlines. It’s like Harry Potter’s Dementors—joy vanishing, replaced by dread. I pause. One hand on my heart, one on my belly. Reiki. I breathe: in for four, hold, out for four. The knot loosens. Light returns.
“Reflection: What’s your “Patronus” in daily life—fresh air, music, or a grounding breath?”
Afternoon: The Context We Carry
Stress isn’t only personal—it’s cultural and collective. Rising costs, health concerns, global uncertainty. It’s like the Nothing in The NeverEnding Story, swallowing hope. In that story, imagination and belief rekindled the world. For me, grounding helps: five things I see, four I feel, three I hear, two I smell, one I taste. I return to my body, to now.
“Reflection: When the “Nothing” creeps in, what practice anchors you back to yourself?”
Evening: Listening Differently
At home, stress lingers. I used to think I was failing because I couldn’t “just relax.” Now I see stress differently. Like in Inside Out, emotions aren’t enemies—they’re messengers. Stress whispers, “You’re carrying too much.” Fear says, “I want you safe.” Journaling helps me listen. Sometimes I need hypnotherapy, a way to gently rewrite subconscious patterns so small triggers don’t unravel me.
Night: A Way Back to Balance
Before bed, I return to Reiki—hand on heart, hand on belly. I imagine release and balance. It’s not perfect peace, but a thread of care woven into my day. Stress is still there, but I carry it differently.
As I drift to sleep, I whisper: I am safe. I am here. I am enough. The weight hasn’t vanished, but I’ve remembered the way through.
In closing, stress is universal, but resilience is personal. Just as heroes in stories discover allies and tools, so can we. Reiki, hypnotherapy, breathwork, mindfulness—these practices are the companions that guide us home to ourselves.
Deirdre Leighton RCHt
Gaia Natural Therapies
O: 1-250-585-4432
Rev. Deirdre Leighton is a Canadian International Metaphysical Minister and holistic practitioner on Vancouver Island, Canada. She specializes in blending Integrative Chakra Therapy®, Hypnotherapy, and Reiki to empower individuals through self-realization, self-awareness, healing emotional trauma, and promoting positive mental health.
