The relationship between stress and disease is now well established. It wasn’t always that way. Hans Selye1 defined the word “stress” in his 1936 book “Stress: The New Psychology of Health and Well-being.” He defines stress as “nonspecific response of the body to any demand1”. What would “any demand” look like? We will need to look at physical, emotional, and mental aspects of the human being as well.
Physical “demand” includes things like exercise, physical labor, housework, running to catch the dog. The muscles move, the breathing increases and the heart beats faster.
Then there is emotional and mental stress. I believe these go hand in hand. Something happens and you find yourself filled with emotions like being scared, angry, frustrated or overwhelmed. The mind makes up stories: this might happen or that probably will happen. Most of the time the story has a negative drama that fuels the negative emotions. The sympathetic nervous system gets activated and we are down the road of fight-flight-freeze, and we feel stressed.
Many physical things happen when we are stressed. One major change is the breathing changes. These changes look like short, faster, and shallower. During stressed breathing, the lungs don’t expand, and oxygen levels will be lower. What can develop here is a “chicken or the egg” scenario. What happens first? The negative emotions starts the fast, shallow breath or the fast shallow breath ignites the negative emotion.
The good news is that you can learn tools to build your resilience and reduce or hand stress in healthy ways. Less stress and more happiness leads to better mental and emotional health and a satisfying life.
Here are four breathing techniques to reduce stress and build resilience.
Breathing Properly/Deep Breathing
When we are stressed or anxious, the breath is fast and shallow. We use only the upper lobes of the lungs. Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Now breath. Which hand moves? If the hand on the chest rises that is thoracic breathing. If the hand on the stomach rises, it is diaphragmatic breathing. A full breath happens when the stomach rises, then the lungs fill with air or deep Breathing. Practice doing the slow, full deep breath. Start with 5 times working up to 10 minutes.
The 4-Pause-6 Breathing Technique
When we are active, as in exercising, house cleaning or yard work, we activate our sympathetic nervous system. One of the signs that this system is activated is breathing faster and with and open mouth. In the fight or flight reaction, the sympathetic nervous system is activated as well.
One simple way to calm down or move to the parasympathetic system activation is to actively change our breathing pattern. You want to have a longer exhale than inhale. The count could look like: inhale to count of 4, pause, exhale to count of 6. This is not meant to be difficult or stress you. Pick something that works as long as you have a longer exhale. I also suggest that you breath in/out through your nose.
Try it. See if you can comfortably do 10 rounds.
HeartMath Breath
I really like the HeartMath breath. This will take a little time. Take slow deep breaths at a comfortable rate for you. They will be equal inhale/exhale. Once you are comfortable, focus on your heart area. Imagine that you are in your heart. Then, bring in the emotion of gratitude or love. Simply image someone or something that you are grateful for or who you love. Allow your heart to open with a smile.
This technique works much better if you do it on a regular basis. Look to start for 5 minutes at a time, increasing to 10 or more minutes in one sitting. Do this every day. One time a day is good. Two times a day is better and three times a day is awesome. Do this breathing as a regular practice. You will experience amazing results when you need it in the crisis moment.
Mindful Breathing Awareness Technique
The breathing awareness technique helps one be in the present and feel calm. The technique consists of counting breaths. The number of breaths can be whatever you want and with which you are comfortable. Start off with 10 breaths.
The trick here is to feel and experience every aspect of the breath. Focus on your nose. Feel the cool air enter your nose. Notice the point when the cool air becomes warm in the back of your throat. Feel your lungs fill and expand with air. Notice what the lungs feel like full of air. When you start to exhale, what do you feel in your lungs/chest. As you exhale, notice the warm air exiting your nose. Play with this. Breaths in more or breathe in less. Be aware of the top of your lungs or the base of your lungs. Perhaps you want to just focus on the feeling of the temperature changes in your nose.
Mindful breathing awareness technique helps you regain control of your thoughts and reduce stress-related symptoms such as insomnia, panic attacks, depression, headaches, irritability, and fatigue resulting from chronic stress.
3-2-1 Breathing Technique
The 3-2-1 breathing technique is a breathing exercise that can help you relax and feel more energized. Inhale to count of 3. Hold for a count of 2. Exhale quickly for count of 1. You can focus on the present moment and reduce stress by doing this.
As you can see, breathing techniques can be a terrific way to build your resilience by improving your mental strength and overall quality of life. Use these breathing techniques whenever you feel stressed or need a moment to relax before responding to adversity or a demanding situation.
Here’s your homework. Commit to learn at least 2 breathing techniques. Then comment below on how this is working for you.
If you want some help schedule a discovery call with me. That is simple, just click here.
0 Comments