How do you breath?

So you need a little help getting rid of your stress . . .

Getting enough oxygen into your body is essential in order to remove toxins from your blood. Insufficient oxygen increases muscle tension and anxiety. Abdominal breathing elicits a relaxation response.

Below are some tips to develop deep breathing which will in turn reduce generalized stress.

How do you breath??

To determine if you breathe with your chest or abdomen, place your left hand on your chest and your right on your abdomen. Your pinkie finger should be just above your naval. Take a deep breathe and notice which hand moves more.

If your left hand moves, you are breathing shallow with your chest.
Chest breathing results in air being sent to the upper lungs where there is less capacity which results in shallow breathing.

If your right hand moves over your abdomen, KUDOS TO YOU . . . you are breathing abdominally, taking in sufficient oxygen with each breath! Abdominal breathing elicits the relaxation response we need to be able to control how we handle stress.

I need help!

To practice breathing abdominally, imagine your body is a balloon. Take a deep breath through your nose. With each inhalation, imagine you are blowing up a balloon. The air comes into your body and your abdomen (the balloon) begins to expand outward. When you exhale, the abdomen (balloon) releases the air. You should try making each inhale/exhale come through your nose.

Relaxation exercises must be practiced regularly to gain the benefits it has to offer. Reading about the techniques does little good unless you put them to use. To begin to form habits, start out spending 10-15 minutes twice a day practicing these exercises.

Make this time a reward for yourself ~ look forward to it.

Is it time to call the doctor?

Do you get sick frequently? The American Institute of Stress estimates that 75 - 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. There are many signs that stress is causing physical as well as mental and emotional disorders ~ muscle aches, low back pain, insomnia, headaches, heart palpitations, irritability, frequent colds, trouble learning new information, change in appetite and jaw clenching are some ways stress manifests itself in your body.

But wait, before you panic, all stress is not bad!

Stress occurs when there is a challenge in front of you. Positive stress occurs when you react to something that creates pleasure or excitement, these are stimulating challenges. Negative stress occurs when you perceive the challenge is difficult, dangerous or painful.

What do you do to control your stress?

During a response to stress (flight or fight response), adrenal glands secrete corticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine, nor epinephrine) which inhibit digestion, reproduction, growth, tissue repair and immune and inflammatory systems. This could have negative effects on your body.

Relaxation response usually turns off this stress unless you accumulate many smaller stressors, in which case it could lead to stress related diseases. Research shows that many people hold their stress in a preferred system. For some it manifests itself in muscle tension and fatigue, for others it may affect the digestive track.

Know your body and how it reacts to stress. With awareness and attitude you can help to overcome much of the stress that attacks your body.