BREATHING TO MANAGE STRESS
Rarely can we control WHAT is happening in our lives: both the unexpected issues as well as the ongoing stresses of work, family, health, and world concerns. We CAN get better at managing how we check in with ourselves – how we create healthier habits to navigate the daily hurdles.
When we are scared, stressed, or anxious – we tend to kick our system into “fight or flight” response. That increases the part of our nervous system that: shuts down our gut, shunts blood to our limbs so we can run, and increases our heart and respiration rate. Super smart defense mechanism.
After that, our PARASYMPATHETIC nervous system kicks in and slows the heart and respiration rate, gets our gut working, and calms our system. If we don’t have that balance we always feel ready to flee.
BREATHING IS THE KEY!! WE ALL DO IT – AND IF WE TRY TO HOLD OUR BREATH, AT SOME POINT OUR BASE BRAIN WILL TAKE OVER AND MAKE US RESTART. But during the day – most of us breathe poorly.
If we practice breathing exercises – in different positions and in different ways – our brain gets used to doing that and learns better patterns. Those patterns will kick in as needed. It also helps us reach for these exercises easily when they are needed – when we are anxious, scared, stressed, unable to fall asleep etc.
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
- Practice this in all positions (laying on back, sitting, standing).
- Place 1 hand on your chest and 1 hand on your belly.
- Spend 30 seconds breathing and notice which hand moves – the chest hand or the belly hand?
- Now practice breathing IN and allowing your BELLY should expand. The hand resting on your belly will rise. Breathe OUT and the BELLY hand will fall.
- The CHEST hand shouldn’t move much at all.
- Many of us CHEST breathe and this is shallow and insufficient.
- Practice this for a few minutes – do not worry about the length of your breathing etc as you get used to what belly breathing feels like.
4-7-8 BREATHING:
This is designed to FORCE slow your breathing rate and heart rate down. It isn’t designed to be done all the time or even more than for a couple of minutes, but when you are feeling really anxious it is a great way to get control.
- Use belly breathing:
- Breathe IN over a count of 4 seconds
- Hold that breath for a count of roughly 7 seconds
- Breathe OUT over a count of 8
- Repeat this 5 times
BOX BREATHING
Similarly, this is designed as a tool when you are feeling anxious or tense. It will force your system to slow down and this is a key to calming down.
- Use belly breathing:
- Breathe in over a count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 4
- Breathe out for a count of 4
- Hold the exhale for a count of 4
- Repeat for a couple of minutes
RESTORATIVE POSE
- Lay on your back with your feet elevated (on a chair, sofa, against a wall). Place a rolled towel, small pillow, or yoga block under your sacrum. This provides a great pressure point that is relaxing – it should NOT hurt and isn’t necessary if it does.
- Allow your knees to roll out so that you aren’t holding them in any strict position.
- Relax everything from your jaw, shoulders, back, all the way down to your feet. Inhale, filling your stomach up with air. Relax your pelvic floor. Exhale, letting all of the air out of your stomach.
- Spend about 5 minutes in this position.
