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Anxiety/Stress

Deep Breathing To Manage Stress

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Sadly, we’re bombarded with multiple stress-inducing factors on a daily basis. From incessant pressure at work to responsibilities at home that never seem to end, life is hard.

That said, stressors don’t have to be small things that build up over time. They can also be one big life event that comes out of nowhere and turns your world upside down.

Whichever way stress burrows into your life, the problems of dealing with it are the same.

Luckily, one technique that’s proven to be successful at managing stress is deep breathing. This calming technique has many benefits besides lowering stress levels, such as improved blood flow and helping you sleep better.

So, keep reading to discover how deep breathing can make you healthier, stronger, and less anxious.

What Is Deep Breathing?

Deep breathing is a technique used to help you achieve inner peace and a sense of calm. The whole point of deep breathing is that it allows you to breathe through your abdomen, rather than the shallow breathing we typically do through our chest.

What abdominal breathing does is help control the nervous system by reducing the release of stress hormones. Thus, it encourages the body to calm down and relax, decreasing anxiety levels.

Consequently, this enhances your overall well-being. Deep breathing through the abdomen also prevents various illnesses and conditions, like high blood pressure, obesity, and Type-2 diabetes.

Moreover, deep breathing helps you focus more on what you’re doing. So, rather than make rash decisions, you can take your time to think things over.

How Does Deep Breathing Work?

Deep breathing allows you to boost the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream. Having more oxygen means your cardiovascular system works double time.

Then, as soon as your brain detects this substantial amount of oxygen in your system, it responds by doing several things. The first of these things is that it reduces the concentration of stress hormones. So, as a result, you calm down, and you become less stressed.

Follow these steps to perform basic deep breathing exercises:

  1. First, put your right hand on your abdomen near your navel.
  2. Next, place your left hand on the center of your chest.
  3. Some people find it helpful to close their eyes, so you can try that and see if you feel comfortable.
  4. Inhale and exhale fully a couple of times to shift from chest to abdominal, or diaphragmatic, breathing.
  5. Next, inhale deeply while focusing on the rising of the abdomen as the lungs fill with air.
  6. As you do this, it should cause your belly to expand about an inch.
  7. Then, slowly let out your breath.
  8. While exhaling, most of the movement should be in the area underneath your right hand. Your chest should only move slightly.
  9. Each time you breathe in and out, focus on how you feel.
  10. Repeat anywhere from 5–7 times.

Benefits of Deep Breathing

When you’re calm and relaxed, you breathe through your nose and take slow, even breaths. But then, something stresses us out, and our ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in.

This is when our breathing becomes more rapid and shallow to increase our oxygen supply. More oxygen means more blood rushing to our extremities, allowing us to run for cover or fight for our lives.

Yet, in today’s modern world, we neither run nor fight. Instead, we create this imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide that has no way of escaping, which affects our health and well-being.

Here are a few physiological benefits of controlled, deep breathing:

  • Lowered heart rate and blood pressure
  • Reduces lactic acid buildup in muscle tissue
  • Stronger immune system
  • A boost in physical energy
  • Reduced levels of stress hormones
  • A renewed blanched of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood
  • Increased feelings of calm and relaxation

Deep Breathing Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks you can use the next time you’re using the deep breathing technique to help you reverse your stress responses and feel calmer.

  • The trick to going from chest breathing to abdominal breathing is those first two full exhalations.
  • Pushing out the air from the bottom of our lungs creates a vacuum that will allow you to switch to abdominal breath on your next inhalation. Next, pause for a second or two before inhaling slowly.
  • The recommended breathing is through the nose. Yet, it takes a while for some people to get used to nostril breathing. So, in the meantime, you can breathe through your mouth until you’re more comfortable.
  • Avoid taking more than five deep breaths. More than five breaths make most people feel light-headed. If this sounds familiar, take 2–3 breaths at a time to avoid feeling giddy or off-balance.
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6 Tips To Make Fear Your Friend

woman covering her face with blanket

What makes you afraid?

Is it losing someone you love? Maybe you fear thunderstorms or heights or elevators. Or perhaps the thought of a visit to your dentist causes you anxiety and fear?

Whatever it is, fear is normal. It’s how our body warns us of dangerous situations and that we should be careful.

Yet, sometimes, our fears can become so great that they hold us back from living up to our full potential. They fill us with dread and uncertainty that we soon become constantly stressed and anxious over the smallest things.

Although surprisingly, fear, in its positive form, can actually be good for us. It can inspire innovative ideas and motivate us to reach new heights.

So, we’re here today to help you make fear your friend. Follow the six tips below, and you’ll know how to turn what was once your foe into an ally.

Let’s get started.

Identify the Source

This is probably the hardest step, but it’s absolutely worth it. But first, you need to come to terms with the source of your fear in order to overcome it.

Being aware of the root cause will be difficult in the beginning, but it’ll make you stronger. You’ll no longer live in the shadow of that big, insurmountable fear.

Embrace It

You’ve come face-to-face with your fear. Now, it’s time to embrace it.

But before you do that, you have to actually admit that such-and-such scares you. There are several ways to do this. First, you can either say it aloud, preferably to someone else in a natural setting.

You can also write it down in a journal or diary. The point is to get it out of your head and into real life. That’s when your fear loses its control over you.

It also feels better to get it off your chest and share it with the world. You’ll be surprised to know just how many people are just as afraid as you are.

Think Rationally

Fear makes us panic, and panic makes us do stupid things. In fact, studies show that when we panic, our prefrontal cortex shuts down. This is the region of our brain responsible for rational thinking.

So, case in point, learn how to think rationally despite your worries and panic. Make fear your friend, and you’ll be able to go a lot farther in life.

Take Stock

People deal with fear, stress, and anxiety in different ways. Some people like to be challenged and are great under pressure. Others find it better to work at their own pace without any tight deadlines looming overhead.

Whichever way you prefer, the important thing is not to let fear get the better of you. For example, say you’re afraid to speak in public. But then a colleague suddenly got sick and asked you to take over the presentation you’ve been preparing for weeks.

In this scenario, you have to pick whether you’ll let your fear overpower you or whether you’ll rise to the challenge.

The latter won’t be easy, but it’ll definitely be worth it in the long run. Be objective and tell yourself that others have held presentations before and have lived to tell about it. So, what’s the big deal?

Remember, your mind tends to blow things out of proportion. So, find a way to deal with the stress and take stock. It’s the only way you’ll be able to harness your fear and get the job done.

Find Support

No one ever failed by having a strong support system. Get around those people in your life who always encourage you to keep going. The same people who continue to love you unconditionally when you’re venting about the things that cause you fear and anxiety.

A lot of research has been carried out on the benefits of having a support system. It empowers you with good coping skills while boosting your self-esteem and overall well-being.

Moreover, a sound support system can lower stress, anxiety, and depression rates. 

Be Positive

Whenever you’re afraid, you’ll tend to focus on negative thoughts and emotions. But then, they fester in your mind and transform into this big, ugly thing that you can no longer control.

Why not try some positivity for a change? Remember, the mind is quite powerful; it just needs a small push in the right direction.

By thinking positively, you can overcome your fears and actually live to tell the tale! All you have to do is believe it, and everything else will fall into place.

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Anxiety/Stress

Warning Signs That You Are Headed for Burnout

A woman in the bathtub with clothes on in Daytona Beach

People often say they have “burnout” just to describe any feeling of being stressed, overwhelmed, or overworked.

But the term is often used too generally, whereas real burnout is an actual state of complete emotional and mental exhaustion. 

If you don’t get help for your burnout, it can lead to a lot of negative consequences in your personal and professional life, and make it much harder to get out of. Here are some warning signs that you might be facing burnout.

It is Getting Harder to Complete Simple Tasks

When you complete the same task several times, you know approximately how long it takes you to complete and how difficult it is.

But when you suddenly take 2-3 times longer to finish that same task or you can’t seem to focus long enough to ever get it done, that is definitely a warning sign that something is wrong.

Don’t ignore these moments when it is hard to do even the simplest of things, that you used to breeze right through. Sometimes it may be a sign that something else is going on.

You Have Severe Mood or Behavioral Changes

There are many reasons to have mood shifts or behavioral changes, like stress and anxiety, but burnout can also be added to this list. You should never ignore changes with your mood, attitude, or behaviors.

Maybe you are falling back into unhealthy habits and it is becoming a crutch for dealing with your negative motions, or you are getting irritable and angry at your loved ones at the drop of a hat.

Sometimes, when you face burnout, the stress can overpower your logical thinking and it becomes harder to keep your cool.

Increase in Mental Health Problems

When you have burnout or overwhelm, you might notice that your other mental health disorders are also getting worse, like anxiety. Never ignore mental illnesses that seem to be getting worse, whether you are getting them treated or not. 

Lack of Energy or Severe Fatigue

Have you noticed that it takes all your energy just to take a shower or get in your car to run simple errands? Among other things, this could also be a warning sign of burnout.

If you have ruled out physical reasons for the fatigue or energy loss, it is time to consider your mental health and see if you might leading toward burnout. There are some practical ways to deal with your burnout.

No Interest in Social Activities

You might also find that you don’t have much interest in anything you used to enjoy. This can apply to relaxing at night and watching TV, reading, spending time with friends, or creative projects.

Keep in mind this can also be a warning sign for depression, and many people experience both depression and burnout at the same time. 

Finally, remember burnout does not need to be a life sentence. It can feel insurmountable, however it’s your body’s way of telling you that something needs to be fixed.

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