Free Simple Effective Tool for Stress Reduction
Ah the holidays!
They can be a time of joy, reflection and social connection with family and friends. But that usually is not the whole story.
I don't know about you but for me it can also be a time of stress and sometimes even increased anxiety. As someone who tends towards anxiety, one of my favorite tools to help get me back to center is one we all have at our fingertips.
It’s breath.
Our ability to breath is a powerful tool that helps to regulate our nervous system. It's quite simple and the more we practice intentional breath work, the easier and more second nature it becomes.
Breath really needs to be a foundational part of any healing program.
Breathing regulates the autonomic nervous system and this allows the body to transition between the sympathetic and parasympathetic in what is hopefully an easy and seamless transition. You can think of the sympathetic nervous system as our fight, flight or freeze mode while our parasympathetic nervous system as out rest, digest and heal mode. Neither one is bad or good we just want to not be stuck in either state. What is becoming more and more common today is that many of us are stuck in sympathetic mode which can be damaging to our overall health and resiliency. This is where breath work comes in.
When we feel “stressed” our sympathetic nervous system is activated. On a primal level, our body is trying to escape the saber tooth tiger. This is fine, if indeed there is imminent danger. But, most of the time, the “threat” is in our head, in the form of worries, to do lists, impatience, etc. At these times, our stress response is not helpful. Chronically over time, this causes inflammation, loss of immune tolerance and an inability to transition back into our parasympathetic state of rest, digest and heal.
This is where 4-7-8 breathing comes in (taken from Dr Andrew Weil).
You can do this anywhere, but best to first practice it in a seated position.
Sit comfortably with your spine straight, and eyes closed.
Keep your tongue resting lightly on the roof of your mouth just in front of your front teeth throughout the process.
Get started by exhaling fully through your mouth with a “whooshing” sound. Pursing lips slightly makes breathing out around your tongue easier.
Inhale quietly through your nose for a mental count of 4.
Hold your breath for a count of 7.
Exhale completely through your mouth with the whoosh for a count of 8.
Repeat the 4-7-8 cycle three more times.
That’s it – deceptively simple, given how very effective it is.
Practice this a couple times a day until it feels easy and natural. Then, use it anytime you feel anxious, overwhelmed, worried, are having trouble falling asleep The more you do it, the easier and more effective it becomes.