Hey, guess what. Stress isn’t good for you. Shocking, right? Anyone who’s ever felt their shoulder cinch up by their ears, their jaw clench, and their breath shorten in response to stress won’t be surprised to hear that it takes a serious toll on your body.
It’s a toll worth talking about. The Mayo Clinic says stress is directly linked to high blood pressure, grinding your teeth when you sleep, headaches, fatigue, heart disease, muscle tension, and more. Yikes.
Stress doesn’t just hurt us physically, either. The mental cost of stress is high, including anxiety, irritability, depression, loss of motivation, and just generally feeling overwhelmed. Also yikes.
Your ally in the fight against stress
Want to fight back against stress as it tries to creep its way into your life? Turn to your breath. Science says it’s one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal in combatting tension and helping yourself keep your cool.
In fact, Harvard Medical School tells us that the breath is one of the best ways to quell an “errant” stress response. By errant, they mean stress that you don’t need. Some stress is good, spurring us into action to help us steer clear of danger. But in our busy world, it’s easy to find yourself experiencing pervasive, chronic stress. You stress about work or school, your friendships, if your house/clothes/car are cool enough, and more. This is the kind of errant stress Harvard is talking about. And it’s exactly what deep breathing can help you combat.
The power of the breath
It’s easy to take breathing for granted. We do it all day, every day, usually without thinking about it. But try tuning into your breath. Try it right now, in fact. Take a deep breath in. Exhale. Take an even deeper breath in, completely filling your lungs. Feel it move down towards your belly. Now exhale, getting rid of any stale air in your lungs. Take another deep, cleansing breath. Breathe out fully. Doesn’t that feel good?
Regularly doing something as simple as that can help you lower your blood pressure, calm anxiety, sleep better at night, ease muscular tension, and even combat PTSD. Not bad for something you can do literally anywhere, any time.
Getting started with breathing
Okay, that might sound crazy to say. How do you get started with doing something you’ve done since the literal minute you were born?
But hear us out. We’re not talking about the basic breaths you take throughout the day. Deepening and lengthening your breath mindfully moves fresh oxygen into your body, refreshing you physically and mentally. Want to try it out? Here’s a quick guide.
Counted breathing exercise
1: Get seated or lie down somewhere comfortable. This doesn’t have to be fancy. You can do this in your car, at your desk, or anywhere that’s convenient for you. If you can tune out external noise during your breathing, do so. We’d recommend popping in some headphones with calming instrumental music.
2: Take a couple of deep breaths.
3: Inhale as you slowly count to three. Hold at the top of your breath briefly, then exhale to the count of three.
4: Inhale as you slowly count to four. Hold, then release your breath to the count of four.
5: Repeat, increasing your count by one each time until you feel you’ve reached your maximum capacity to fill your lungs.
6: Take a few more breaths at your longest inhale and exhale count.
7: Gently let your breath return to normal. Sit for a moment, observing how you feel mentally and physically.
This exercise will only take you a few minutes but you should feel markedly calmer afterward. And it’s a good one to use to track your progress. You’ll be amazed at how much you’re able to increase your breath count if you stick with doing this on a regular basis.
And if you want more help breathing or managing your stress, we’re here. With traditional talk therapy plus a range of other options (like group sessions and alternative healing), we partner with you to lead your healthiest, most balanced, least stressed life. Contact the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center today!
