Let’s face it, life is hectic. Between work schedules and family duties, stress can become a normal part of our everyday lives. While it may be impossible to completely avoid stress, there are techniques that we can use to help us cope with and eliminate stress that builds inside ourselves.
One of the easiest techniques to use is breathing exercises. After all, we have to breathe anyways, at least if we want to remain conscious. Breathing exercises are very effective when it comes to relieving stress. While it may seem hard to believe that something as simple as breathing can make your life easier, it couldn’t be any truer!
So the question is, why don’t more people take advantage of the awesome benefits that breathing exercises have to offer to their lives? The most logical answer would likely be skepticism. A lot of people have a hard time wrapping their mind around the fact that something so simple could be so powerful. Their closed mindedness keeps them from benefiting from one of the most simple and powerful stress reducers that exist.
Do you want to be closed minded and possibly pass up a brighter future or do you want to try something new and possibly create a much happier future for yourself? I am certain that you would like to create a happy and blissful future for yourself as most everyone does. If this is the case, you may seriously want to consider giving stress reducing breathing techniques a shot!
There is a bit more to these exercises than simply breathing. To help you gain a better understanding of how these exercise work and what exactly they will require you to do, I have provided an example exercise for you to try.
This breathing exercise is referred to as the measured breathe:
•Loosen up and get comfortable
It is highly important that you are loose and comfortable while conducting any breathing exercise. For this exercise you can choose to sit or stand, whichever is more comfortable for you would be the best option. Make sure your hands are loose and that your knees are not rigid. It is also advised that you drop your shoulders and allow your jaw to fully relax. Stretching before doing the exercise is a great way of making sure all of your muscles are loose which will provide you with the best results.
•Begin breathing in slowly
Once you are fully relaxed and your muscles are loose, it is time to begin taking in slow deep breathes. Make sure to breathe in through your nose and to continue inhaling while you slowly count to four. Make sure that you do not allow your shoulders to raise, keep them low and allow your stomach to expand.
•Pause for a moment
Once you have counted to four and your lungs are full of oxygen, you need to hold your breath for a moment. While holding your breath, envision the oxygen in your lungs supplying power to your body. Imagine that every bit of the air in your lungs is turning into a power force that no amount of stress could ever conquer.
•Release
For this step you will need to slowly exhale while counting to seven. While doing this you can get added stress relief by envisioning all of the stress in your body being expelled with the oxygen leaving your lungs. Continue to slowly exhale until all of the stress that has been consuming you has been expelled from your body.
•Repeat as needed
This exercise will be much more effective if the steps are repeated a few times. It is also advised that you use these techniques before your stress levels are through the roof. As soon as you feel yourself becoming stressed, take a few moments to do this exercise. It does not take long and it can work miracles when it comes to stress reduction.
You have the power to kick stress to the curb and as you can see, it is likely a lot easier than you thought. You cannot escape stress but you can manage it and that is likely the key to living a blissful life compared to a stressful one.
Keep in mind, breathing exercises are simple to do and they just become easier the more you do them. Who would have ever thought that something as simple as breathing has the potential to replace cocktails of medication used to treat the same issue? It really is amazing when you think about it.
Give stress reducing breathing exercises a try and you will surely be amazed by the effectiveness they have when it comes to slaying stress. As mentioned earlier, you have to breathe anyways. Therefore, you might as well manage your stress while you do it!
Here are some other ways to reduce stress.
