by Carol Woodliff
Ready for a simple stress management tip that you can do anytime or anywhere? You may think you already know this one but I promise you,most of you haven’t thought about it quite in this way before. When life is moving too fast and you feel like you don’t know whether you are coming or going,it is a good time to take a breathing break! No that doesn’t mean quit breathing! It means taking a few minutes to focus on your breathing.
Most people get irritated when someone tells them to breathe! My theory is by the time someone is telling us to breathe,we are so stressed out that it is hard for us to slow down and do it unless we have practiced a particular sort of breathing earlier when we weren’t under stress.
“Wait a minute-practice breathing?”you say. “Why should I do that? I breathe all the time. I don’t need to practice.”Maybe you don’t-but I know I do. Since breathing is something the subconscious mind handles for me,I end to forget that I can use it as a tool to help me settle down.
We know instinctively that our breath and our stress are related. Have you ever said,“I just need some breathing room in my schedule”or “I was so busy I didn’t have time to catch my breath?”That’s a sure sign that we know our breath is effected by our busy lives.
The process of using your breath for stress management is about becoming aware of your breathing and moving it to a slower,fuller and more complete place. Karen and I recommend that you pick a few times during the day-just to breathe.
Here are two of my favorite:
- In the restroom. Every time I wash my hands in the restroom,I check in with my breath and see if I can slow it down,exhale completely and allow myself a nice easy breath in. Repeated several times,I can feel my body start to relax and I can square my shoulders as I leave the restroom and go back to my busy day in a better frame of mind.
- While driving. Since I’m in Los Angeles,there is much of my time that I’m captive in the car. Spending that time breathing more fully can help me stay balanced on the road. The minute I get in the car,as I put the key in the ignition,I breathe out and take a full deep breath in. As I maneuver through traffic,I notice my stomach moving in and out with each breath. When I do this,I manage to stay more focused on driving and reduce my commuting stress at the same time.
You may notice that in each example,I focused on the exhale first. I didn’t tell myself to take a deep breath. The exhale is about release. When you are under stress you want to release tension-so you focus on releasing the breath first. It’s awfully hard to take a deep breath if you’ve been holding your breath!
Take the breathing break challenge. Schedule a breathing break a few times a day (it can be a minute -it doesn’t have to be a big commitment!) and see the benefits that adding something so simple can do for your overall outlook and stress level.
For more easy tips on stress management,Check out our FIVE MINUTE STRESS MANAGEMENTaudio CD.