We often don’t even think about breathing unless we have a blocked nose or find breathing difficult for one reason or another. But do you know your breathing changes based on your mood or state of mind?
When you are stressed, in panic or anxious, your breathing changes to shorter, lighter breaths. This causes your heart rate to increase, your stress hormones and adrenaline to increase, and your body to be primed to fight or run.
The danger is that, with the amount of stress we experience today, many people are constantly in stress mode and barely get the right amount of oxygen or get it in the right way.
There is an increase in breathing and meditating apps, and some smartwatches remind you to breathe intentionally and conscientiously for at least one minute or 30 seconds.
The beauty of this is that you can do this in your car while you are waiting at a drive-through, in your office just before you open your laptop and get to all those emails, while you brush your teeth, at lunchtime or just before bed… anywhere! It only takes one minute, but the benefits are as good for you as diet, fruits, and exercise.
According to the Better Health Channel of the Victoria State Government Department of Health,
Shallow upper chest breathing is part of the typical stress response. The stress response can be reduced by consciously breathing using the diaphragm, a sheet of muscle underneath and between the lungs.
When we breathe, we take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, which helps regulate the body’s gases.
When we breathe correctly, we help improve our nervous system and blood circulation by eliminating stress hormones in our blood, our immune system by reducing inflammation, and our heart rate and blood pressure by becoming more regular as we regulate our breathing.
Research has shown that deep breathing improves emotions, memory, and mental clarity, or at least mental calmness.
Stop waiting for everything to be calm and perfect or for you to go on vacation before you take time to breathe. We all want that, but when life happens, and we cannot escape, we can stop to pause, breathe, worship, and give thanks; it only takes one minute.
I dare you to join me in the breathing/worship/affirmation for a 90-second daily challenge. You could do it once or twice a day, but it must be every day. You will pause for 30 seconds to centre yourself and breathe, thanking the creator in that situation or circumstance, another 30 seconds to worship and praise your maker, attract and activate angels on your behalf and 30 seconds to affirm yourself, saying, “I am strong, I am confident, I am okay, I am victorious, even if it doesn’t feel or look like it at that moment.”
If you forget to do it in a day, that’s okay, but do it as often as you can and as often as you remember, especially when you are going through a stressful or anxious situation. Turn every sad moment into a victory by simply taking charge of your breathing, and watch yourself have happier, lighter, and more productive days.
Let me know if you tried this and how it’s going for you. You got this; cheers to the best version of you!
