Anxiety is really high these days. A few months ago, I dare say we were all hopeful the pandemic was coming to an end and life was starting to feel a little bit more “normal.” But with the new Delta variant, it seems the pandemic is overextending its welcome.
People are concerned about staying healthy, protecting their children, and wanting to maintain their sanity while balancing work, family, and life. Different countries, different states, and different cities are handling this unrest in a variety of ways and there continues to be discord and division about the best way to move past the pandemic.
During these uncertain times, I know that it’s critical for me to stay as sane and balanced as possible so that I can guide my family through the turbulence. I’m sure you feel the same way.
One of the best tools I know to utilize is mindful breathing.
Now before you click away and say “Oh, just one more person telling me to breathe! If I hear that again, I’m going to scream!” please hang in there with me for a minute. There’s a reason you keep hearing it again and again.
Why is breathing one of THE best tools to reduce anxiety?
- You can use it in a variety of ways depending on your needs.
- It brings necessary oxygen to the brain to decrease stress and increase calm.
- It can lower your heart rate and your blood pressure.
- It can increase your energy.
- It can help to decrease pain (physical and emotional).
- It doesn’t take long to make an impact.
- You always have it with you!
That last reason is KEY to me. Sure, we’d all love to have a weekly massage or go for a long hike in the woods (or bike ride, swim or run—whatever your pleasure is!) every weekend but life is really busy. A bubble bath, an outing with girlfriends, and time to read a novel are all great ways to reduce stress but it’s sometimes hard to fit those in. When you only have a few minutes to shift your energetic and emotional state, doing a mindful breathing technique is the most effective way I know to achieve that goal consistently!
Here are some of my favorite breathing techniques:
- If I’m feeling scattered and overwhelmed with a lot of things swirling mentally around me, my favorite thing to do is stop and take 10 long breaths. I do an equal amount of inhale and exhale but something about pausing and concentrating on my breath for 10 complete cycles is able to immediately calm me down and help me refocus on the task at hand. I may use this during the work day, when I’m angry with my daughter and need to calm down before responding to her, or when I’m trying to go to sleep.
- If I’m feeling particularly emotional, I like to do belly breathing. You can sit or lie down and then place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Take a few regular breaths and simply notice the rise and fall of your chest. Then concentrate on drawing your breath in and out of your belly area instead of your chest. It may take a few cycles to shift the focus but I like this because I find that laying hands on the body is an extra comforting measure when trying to calm down.
- When I’m feeling angry or upset, my favorite breath to do is a visualization breath. When I inhale through my nose, I envision white light coming down from the heavens through my crown chakra at the top of my head, filling up my body. Then when I exhale, I forcefully breathe out through my mouth and imagine I’m releasing any negative energies. I picture them as gray smoke billowing out of my mouth. I inhale white light and exhale gray smoke for as many cycles as I need to until the gray smoke dissipates and in my mind’s eye, I’m breathing out clear air again.
- Sometimes I’ll choose numbered breathing to reduce my anxiety. There are several techniques that involve counting but I really like the 4-7-8 espoused by Dr. Andrew Weil. You inhale through your hose for four counts, hold the breath and quietly count to seven in your head and then noisily exhale to the count of eight—twice as long as the inhale. It’s considered a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system and just a few rounds of it can work wonders.
There are plenty of other breathing techniques out there…these are just some of my favorites. I found a great article about different breathing techniques with several instructional videos that you may find helpful! And this short but lovely reminder about breathing from Leo Babauta from Zen Habits. What are your favorites? I’d love to hear about them. Please leave a comment and let me know!
Remember, when things get a little chaotic, you’ve got everything you need right with you. Just breathe!
Elizabeth
P.S. If you need help breathing more life into your biz, your relationships or your self-care, remember I’ve got a special discount on coaching services if you book before August 31st! Use code CELEBRATE21 to get 21% off.