BREATHE: Save Your Sanity

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt so stressed that you felt like you could use some help to save your sanity? Of course you have. Who hasn’t? You will be pleased to discover that there is a strategy you can use to reduce stress and improve your health at the same time! This strategy is easy and convenient, and it is called deep breathing.

What is Deep Breathing?

Deep breathing is a breathing exercise that involves manipulating the breath in ways that bring about certain feelings on an emotional level.

There are various deep breathing exercises that are designed for:

• Developing the mind and the body


• Helping you enter a state of meditation


• Bringing on a healthy sweat, enabling you to feel revived

No matter what emotion you are trying to achieve with your breathing exercises, the beauty is that it does not cost you anything to breathe.

When Should I Do Deep Breathing Exercises?

There are no hard and fast rules stipulating when to do breathing exercises. It really depends on what you are wishing to achieve by doing them.

You can use breathing exercises at any moment to:

• Achieve a state of calm


• Feel alive, invigorated, and ready for your day


• Reduce stress in tense situations


• Wind down at the end of the day

When you wake up in the morning, you may wish to do some quick deep breathing exercises to feel invigorated and ready to go. You can go outside, take a deep breath, and then breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth.

This breathing exercise can serve as a workout for your abdominal muscles and lungs. It can make you feel quite refreshed at the beginning of your day and provides a similar effect to taking a morning jog.

When you are having a tough day at work or dealing with conflict, you can use a few calming breaths to help reduce stress. Sit back, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Hold it in and then let it out. Repeat the process until you feel relaxed.

And, there are Health Benefits, too

If you just need a quick lift, then you will only need to spend a short time here and there doing some deep breathing exercises. On the other hand, if you’re looking to have a significant impact on your health and serenity, you can form a routine of several breathing exercises throughout your day.

Whatever the duration, breathing exercises can bring you many health benefits, including:

• Reducing your blood pressure


• Calming your nerves


• Tightening your core muscles


• Aid in better digestion


• Aid in the elimination of waste and toxins


• Bring you higher levels of energy


• Increase your awareness of the functions within your body


• Reduce stress

Your own results will depend upon the type and frequency of breathing exercises you use. And, anyone can benefit from breathing exercises. Breathing exercises can benefit virtually anyone. The only individuals who should take extreme caution are those with respiratory issues. Always check with your physician before attempting these exercises.

How Do I Do Deep Breathing Exercises?

1. Get into a comfortable position either lying on your back or sitting. If you are sitting down, make sure that you keep your back as straight as you can and let your shoulders relax and drop.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Breathe as you normally would for a few cycles. Check your self. Is your belly riding and falling with every breath in and breath out? If you can answer “yes,” that is what you seek. If this is not the case, you will need to practice some with your hands on you chest and belly respectively until you can get the desired result. It takes practice, so do not sweat not getting it right the first time or two.

4. Once you have the rhythm, continue as long as you would need or like!

So, next time you are feeling under the gun, want to clear your head, or find your way back to sanity, sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy the relaxing effects that deep breathing can provide. It is an effective solution to reduce stress, bring you peace, and improve your life.

To your continued success!!!

BREATHE: Save Your Sanity