Importance of breathing
Stressed? Breathing: The simplest way to start dealing with stress
So what?
If you are stressed and/or anxious, take a moment to breathe. You will:
- Be present;
- Stop feeling like being chased;
- Not feel helpless; and
- Be able to do something about it.
What is stress?
Stress is defined as “the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure”. It’s your reaction to your environment and surroundings. You and your body are designed to experience and react to stress.
The good, the bad and the ugly
Stress becomes a problem when your stress responses continue for an extended time or reach a problematic level.
- Good: Stressors that boost your mood and help you focus and be motivated.
- Bad: Stressors that manifests in physical and/or emotional responses such as body aches, chronic muscle pain, turning to alcohol, burn outs or constant fatigue.
- Ugly: Stressors that are bad and coupled with psychological and/or social effects such as anger, overreaction, high blood pressure or depression.
How to know if you’re stressed
The first signs of stress are agitation, frustration or moodiness. Acne and frequent sickness (and those noted above) could be symptoms when you are experiencing longer periods of stress.
In other words, you’re stressed when you experience negative feelings, emotions or physical manifestations that you don’t experience at a rested, peaceful, relaxed state.
What you can do about stress
The most important thing you can do is to start small. Find triggers or cues in your day to day demands that cause you stress. Take the smallest window of time during your day to take 2 minutes of solitude when these triggers and cues strike.
You will feel the difference even if your solitude is 2 minutes due to the cumulative effect of prolonged practice. Soon enough, you will be a natural at breathing when you are triggered.
Let it in, let it go. As easy as that.
If you want a more complicated method of stress management, check out the 5-4-3-2-1 method at YouTube and Insight Timer.
My experience
Our 7 year old girl is my trigger. Not a trigger that causes stress but my trigger, a reminder, to breathe when I’m stressed or anxious. She reminds me to breathe every time she notices that I’m not “normal”. She learnt this in her year 2 well-being course.
What amazing things that kids learn these days, huh?
What now?
- Find the smallest window of time.
- Just breathe.
- Let it in, let it go.