Do you ever feel overwhelmed, stressed, and out of control? Is it difficult for you to relax? Deep, or diaphragmatic breathing can provide that de-stress technique you need. The old adage “relax, take a deep breath” is actually good advice.
Here’s what happens when we are mentally or emotionally stressed -- our bodies also become stressed and show certain symptoms like short breaths, sweating, racing heart, etc. This is the body’s natural reaction to a threat. For example, the heart pumps blood into our large muscles to enable us to fight or flee from danger. This is helpful if you are stressed by a threat like a home intruder, and you need to escape, but not so great if you are stressed about the kids’ schedules and how much you have to do today
You can short circuit this stress response in your body by taking deep breaths – long, slow breaths down into your “gut” instead of short, choppy breaths into your chest. I advise people to practice this by placing one hand on your stomach and one on your chest, and trying to ensure that the stomach hand rises and falls with your breath more than the hand on your chest. This takes practice, and can feel awkward at first, but with practice you’ll get it…and see that taking a deep breath calms your body, lets you feel more in control, and actually eases your mind a bit too!
To learn more about this and other techniques to manage stress, anxiety, and physical pain, contact us at 954-340-0888 to set up an appointment with one of our mental health staff. We can teach you skills to ease your mind, and your body.
