When Life Gets Challenging Remember to Breathe …

Over time, long-term (chronic) stress, even from seemingly minor inconveniences like traffic, issues with loved ones, annoying automated customer service departments, or other everyday concerns can cause you to develop anxiety ….. or even depression.

Being stressed also keeps your immune system from working optimally, leaving you more susceptible to dis-ease and feeling sluggish and rundown.

Good News - Deep breathing exercises can help you reduce the effects of stress.

Diaphragmatic breathing has an overall soothing effect on the body and mind by decreasing tightness and quieting the nervous system.

It’s no wonder why Diaphragmatic breathing, also called "abdominal breathing" or "belly breathing", is at the center of the practice of meditation.

Belly breathing has been found to have a variety of benefits, including:

• lowering the harmful effects of cortisol on your body (the stress hormone).

• lowering your heart rate. *

• helps lower your blood pressure. **

• helps you cope with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. ***

• improves your core muscle stability.

• improves your body’s ability to tolerate intense exercise.

• lowering the chances of injuring or wearing out your muscles.

So how do you Belly Breathe properly?

Breathe in. Slowly. Gently. Deeply. Breathe out.

• The easiest way to master this technique is to start by lying down on your back, knees bent.

• Place one hand on your chest, and the other hand on the belly.

• Focus on your breath. Begin to slow it down.

• Gently inhale for a count of 4. Exhale - 2, 3, 4

• Tilt your pelvis up so your lower back flattens toward the floor/bed.

• Breathe. In - 2, 3, 4...Out - 2, 3, 4

• Allow your breath to flow in deep into the belly, noticing the hand on the belly rise followed by the hand on the chest.

• Exhale while allowing yourself to soften. Breathing in relaxation. Breathing out tension. 

• Now add a pause. Inhale - 2, 3, 4 - hold, hold - exhale - 2, 3, 4 - hold, hold

• Continue until all the stress has melted away (usually 2-3 minutes)

Once you’ve mastered belly breathing lying down, it’s easy to incorporate into your day any time stressful situations arise –  unexpected traffic jams, unreasonably long lines, before (or after) a taxing Zoom meeting, or simply at the end of a day to help you fall asleep (remember to tuck the bum so your lower back doesn’t arch)!

Habitual Mouth Breather?

You’re going to want to read this book.

You’ll also find it interesting if you snore, have anxiety, sleep apnea, suffer from asthma or any other breathing related ailment…

New York Times Bestseller, Breath, the New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

Resources:
1. NIH – "The Impact of Resonance Frequency Breathing on Measures of Heart Rate Variability, Blood Pressure, and Mood" 
2. NIH – "A randomized controlled trial on effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on blood pressure, psychological distress, and coping in young adults" 
3. Semantic Scholar – *** "Mind-Body Practices for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder"