Breath awareness
How to reduce stress and anxiety
The Breathing Series
Pause for a moment as you read this, and notice your breath. Yes, for real.
Your breath is pretty magical it can provide you with lots of information about your mental and physical wellbeing.
It is also pretty boring and mundane, hence we tend to completely ignore it when it comes to looking for a way to feel better, have less stress and anxiety and human better.
I cannot think of one thing in life that is not improved by learning how to breath.
Back to the initial ask. Pause and check in with your breathing. Get curious. What do you notice?
Is it fast or slow? Are you breathing high in the chest or low into your belly? Is your breath tight and constricted or open and spacious? Is it smooth or raspy? So many questions I know.
All absolutely essential if you want to start to harness the power you have within you to live life with greater ease.
Stress and Breath
When we are under pressure, feeling stressed and anxious, your breath will be tight and constricted, most likely shallow and high in the chest.
When you are feeling joyful, calm and more in flow, your breath will be open and spacious, deep and smooth.
You may or may not have noticed this before but like many things in life once you see it, you can’t un-see it.
The Science
Our breathing is part of our autonomic nervous system. This magically means that it both automatic and also something we can consciously control.
There are two branches that come from our autonomic nervous system. Our parasympathetic and our sympathetic branches. When I ask people in my classes have they heard of them most shake their head no or they say yes but I am not really sure why I should care.
It is important to understand the connection between our breath and stress.
Our breath is designed to be in balance. When you inhale you activate your sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the up regulation action part of your nervous system.
When you exhale you activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the down-regulating, calming and soothing part of your nervous system.
Stuck on fast
The challenge most of us face today is that we get stuck in our sympathetic nervous system. We don’t want or need this to be stuck on. It leads to a whole cascade of health issues from compromised immune function, high blood pressure, dis-regulated sleep, brain fog, exhaustion and the list goes on.
Little known fact
There are more receptors high in our lungs for our SNS. This matters because if you are a chest breather you are activating the “stress” part of your nervous system more than is good for your mental and physical wellbeing.
There are more receptors low in the lungs for the PNS. This matters because by taking a full slow breath you activate the “calm” part of your nervous system allowing your body to rest, repair and recover.
TAP INTO YOUR INNER WISDOM
Inhale - Exhale - Smile - Repeat
We are wise
We innately know this. When someone is upset what do you say? Take a deep breath right.
We have simply forgotten how to trust ourselves.
A little bit about the brain
This I will cover in more detail in later posts but you know that way your brain sometimes seems to be completely offline. The times when the words you really don’t want to say are quickly emerging from your mouth faster than you can close it?
Yip, we have all been there I know.
When you breathe high in the chest, fast and rapid your brain thinks you are in danger. It has no interest in ensuring you say the right thing, it only cares that you need to escape whatever is causing you so much angst.
The smart, emotional regulating part of the brain has gone offline, it has headed out for a nice hot coffee whilst the alarm bell in the brain is sitting in the driving seat calling the shots.
This rarely if ever goes well (unless you are in imminent danger and then it does its job exceptionally well).
This is also important!
How do you know if you are stressed? Breath awareness. By learning to pause and tune into what your body is telling you.
If you notice you are breathing fast and shallow - before you do anything take a few slow deep breaths.
Don’t send the email
Don’t answer the phone
Don’t answer the question
Don’t say yes or no or anything to your boss, partner, kids, dog …anyone
Until you take a deep breath.
Notice the difference, you have basically hit reset on your brain and body.
Practice
In the next post I will share more about the connection between breathing and emotions but I would love for you to start becoming acquainted with your breath.
For the next few days every time you have a coffee, tea, glass of water or pop to the bathroom pause and notice your breath.
Make a mental note of how it is in that moment, what you were doing, who you were talking to, what you were reading etc and actively slow it down by taking a few slow deep breaths.
You have started to re-balance your body and mind and reduce your stress one slow breath at a time.
Inhale Exhale Smile Repeat