We've all been there. Confronted with a tense situation. A disagreement with a co-worker, a near miss with another driver, or maybe a day-to-day situation that creates stress.
Stress is a part of life. Good stress leads to creativity and growth. But, bad stress turns on your sympathetic nervous system, creating physiological changes that trigger the fight or flight response. When this happens, the heart rate increases to suply more blood to different parts of the body and the kidneys secrete adrenaline for a boost in muscle strength. It's important to return the body to it's normal state as soon as possible after a stressful event.
Here are some little known facts about stress:
- Your body reacts the same way to a big stress or a little one
- Stress makes us do dumb things
- We are so accustomed to stress, sometimes we don't even notice it
But did you also know:
- You can control your reaction to stress
- It is best to handle stress when it happens
The best way to reduce stress is by doing something we do everyday: breathing.
In acute situations, you may have been instructed to, or told someone to, "Take a deep breath." This advise is perfectly fine and it does work.
Deep breathing reduces stress by turning on our parasympathetic nervous system, which turns off the stress hormone pump. It also gives your mind a place to land, reducing distraction from thoughts drifting to the past or the future.
A simple breathing exercise done every day may help reduce overall tension so when a stressful situation does arise, you will be better able to handle it.
Try this once a day for 5-10 minutes, preferably in the morning, but anytime of day is fine.
Find a comfortable place to sit and align your shoulders over your hips so your spine is straight. You may sit on a pillow on the floor with your legs crossed, meditation style, or you may sit on a low stool or chair. If you are sitting on a chair, please be sure to sit up tall and not lean against the back of the chair. Place your hands on your knees and let your elbows hang below your shoulders. Close your eyes and take a few deeps breaths. Slowly let your breath return to normal, breathing gently through your nose. Continue to observe your breath and try not to get distracted by outside noises or your own thoughts. When you find your mind starting to wander, return your focus to your breath. After a few comfortable breaths, start to lengthen your inhales and exhales by counting to four. Inhale, two, three, four... exhale, two, three, four. Keep going, continue this breathing pattern for at least five minutes. Once you get accustomed to this exercise, you may want to take the count to six or eight, depending on how comfortable you feel doing this. You may also start to increase the length of time you sit, going to 10, 15, or even 20 minutes.
When you are done, slowly open your eyes, wiggle your fingers and take a deep breath. Stand up slowly and notice your relaxed body and mind.
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