Stress and anxiety can be debilitating and arrive when you are least expecting it. You could be having a great day and then something happens, and you are tipped over from comfortable to high levels of stress.
When stress arrives
I know this happened for me just the other day when I was in the process of working with my web designer on my Donna Grace website and I realized that my emails were very quiet, I did a check and they weren’t working.
We spent the next 2 hours trying to work out how to fix the email issue. I was so stressed (mainly because IT is not my strong suit), I could feel that burning sensation between my shoulder blades (yuk…really do not like that feeling!!). We decided to hand the problem over to my son as he understands the technical side of IT. I still felt really stressed after getting off the call, I took myself onto my mat….closed my eyes and focused on my breathe. The tension started to leave my body almost immediately.
3 things you can do to reduce stress
The 3 most beneficial things you can do for yourself when you are feeling stressed or anxious:
1. Close your eyes (if you can)
2. Take a deep breathe inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the nose
3. Repeat, repeat, repeat
How breath effects the body
Did you know that the way you breathe affects your body, mind and spirit? Breathe is so powerful, it’s your life force, it’s the first thing you do when you are born and it’s the last thing you do before we die. Your whole life is a series of breath.
It might seem strange that doing something so simple, something that occurs involuntarily thousands of times per day, when we focus on it, can reduce stress and improve our physiological profile immediately.
Taking the awareness to your breathe and slowing your breathing down, will instantly relax your nervous system. It’s something you can do anywhere at any time. Why not try it for yourself right now?
How to breath deeply
Here are some easy instructions on how to take a long deep breathe.
1.Find a comfortable seat (or you can lie down) and roll your shoulders up and back. Place your feet on the ground, put a cushion behind your back for support if needed and gently close your eyes. Place your hands on your lower belly.
2.Now take the awareness to your breathe, breathing in through your nose, see if you can feel the cool air entering in through the nostrils
3.Feel your belly expand as you breathe in (as the lungs fill up the diaphragm contracts and pushes the air down that’s why the belly expands)
4.As you exhale, feel the belly contract and the warm hair leave through your nostrils
5.Repeat
6.Repeat again
Repeat this exercise at least 3 times a day and witness how your nervous system changes over time.
I would love to hear about your experience with this if you would like to share it, that would be fantastic.
Love, Grace and Gratitude
Donna x