Hello everyone!
I hope you are all doing well and staying safe (and clean). I had a whole post written about the importance of reconnecting to the breath in times of stress. At the time, I was in the middle of the semester with school and I was feeling the weight of my assignments and life stress sitting heavy on my shoulders. And now, the idea of life stress has taken on a whole new meaning. With the state of the world today, I think it’s just as important to talk about breathing exercises for stress and/or anger. In the original post, I started off by saying that this year felt like it was flying by while simultaneously dragging on in the slowest way possible. But now, the year feels like we’ve reached a turning point. The world has hit pause and all of our lives have shifted. Our external stimulants, like work and school, have been put on the back burner. A lot of us are taking this time to find internal stimulation like journaling and meditating, which is a beautiful luxury. Some of us have fallen in to the headspace of lost motivation and snacking, which is also okay! Every person deals with change differently and there is no right way to approach this kind of drastic transition from everyday life.
A small, but positive, way to take on this life shift is to appreciate the arrival of spring. The sun is sticking around for longer, the days are getting warmer and it smells like sunshine outside. Even though we all have a lot to be grateful for, it is normal for us to feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, on top of whatever we are all dealing with in our personal lives. It can feel like a weight that we become so accustomed to carrying but, day after day, an extra pound is added. We are unconscious of this slight change and continue to lug around this weight until, eventually, it becomes too much and we fall in to a slump. We’re short tempered with our loved ones, we want to stay in bed and we don’t know how we got to this place. I am a major advocate for people feeling their feelings; allowing themselves to fully embrace the emotion they are experiencing, in whatever way they need to experience it. The important part, and I cannot stress this enough, is discovering ways to release those feelings once you’re done working through your thoughts and emotions. If you allow anger and/or stress to sit in your chest, it will fester and begin to seep in to parts of your life you don’t want it effecting.
This is where I introduce the topic of breath. Breathing is something we do, unconsciously, all day… every day… for the entire time that we are alive. But, what if I told you that mindful breathing, even just a little bit every day, could decrease your blood pressure? There is an exercise called the Box Breathing method, and it is the act of inhaling through the nose for four seconds, holding it for four seconds, and exhaling loudly from the mouth for four seconds, and then allowing your lungs to stay empty for four seconds. It has benefitted me in times of stress and I find that it acts almost like a refresh button, and afterwards, my mind and my body are in neutral state and I can restart. Another breathing exercise, and my preferred exercise, is the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique. I find a comfortable seated position, place the tip of the tongue on the gum line just behind the front teeth, and inhale deeply for four seconds through the nose. I then hold the breath for seven seconds before exhaling through my mouth for eight seconds and really emptying my lungs of any air. It gives me the same benefits as the Box Breathing method, while giving me a stronger sense of release because I am holding the breath for longer and emptying my lungs of air more forcefully.
My only word of advice for these breathing exercises is to make sure you don’t overdo it. If you are unfamiliar with mindful breathing or breathing exercises at all, I would suggest starting slow. Try one or two rounds of which ever breathing technique you like, making sure you don’t feel light headed. Remember, this is to release stress, so don’t force yourself to do more than you’re comfortable with because you don’t want to pass out. Breathing exercises have been connected to the lowering of blood pressure, an increase of oxygenation within the body and can aid in the improvement of cardiovascular health. I encourage you to take a minute or two out of your day to sit with yourself. Relax your forehead. Un-furrow your eyebrows. Unclench your jaw. Drop your shoulders away from your ears. And breathe. The weight of the world is not on your shoulders, no matter how much it may feel that way. In times like these, where we are feeling the effects of global stress, it’s more important than ever to take care of ourselves internally and to take care of those around us.
Stay safe. Stay Healthy. And have a wonderful day!
Love, Sy