How breathing can improve your mental wellbeing
by Khiron House
Everyone gets stressed. It can happen very often or quite rarely. Nowadays there are so many ways to help you relieve stress but what actually works?
Going abroad, taking a break from work, exercise, massages and talking to someone, are just a number of recommended ways to help you relax.
Too much stress can be very detrimental to your body and your mind. It can affect your sleeping patterns, your eating habits and your emotional well being.
Even after massages, bubble baths and expensive holidays, many people forget the most obvious AND free way of reducing stress. Breathing!
Taking a deep breath and counting to ten can be very effective. Perhaps not as effective as a week away in the Caribbean but breathing can give you immediate relief that can help calm your nerves.
Breathing Techniques for Stress
If you suffer from anxiety or have suffered a trauma, breathing techniques can help to improve your mental well being.
When you are stressed, your breathing pattern increases and that means your body is getting less oxygen. Deep and controlled breaths can help your body recover from a traumatic experience and help you to approach a situation calmly.
Take some time to focus on your breathing and relax – this can take just five minutes or longer depending on how much time you have.
- Sit in a quiet area where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Sit outside or in an empty room. Some people find it more relaxing to sit in a darker room.
- Make sure you are sitting comfortably.
- Breathe deeply through your nose, these need to be deep and equal breaths.
- As you breathe, focus on your abdomen, you want your diaphragm to stretch when you breathe in and then relax when you breathe out.
- As you breathe, your lungs are filling with oxygen and helping your body feel relaxed.
- Focus on your breathing, you shouldn’t be thinking about anything else – just breathe!
Keep your attention on your breathing, focus on every breath as the action will keep you distracted and the exercise will relieve any worries or anxieties.
Benefits of Breathing
Breathing is an important exercise to help you keep in control of your mind and body. Because we breathe everyday, many people don’t realise the benefits of breathing to relieve stress.
Focused and controlled breathing has many benefits:
- Reduces stress
- Lowers blood pressure
- Calms the mind
- Improves recovery from anxiety or trauma
- Benefits mental wellbeing
- Revives energy
Breathing is a very beneficial stress reliever and can help toward a healthy mind and body. If you find yourself in a stressful situation, find somewhere quiet to sit and take time to breathe and relax.
To find out more about help with anxiety and trauma visit http://www.khironhouse.com/
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