Between work, relationships, family, and friends, life can get extremely hectic. Taking time out from a busy day is essential to keep your balance and your sanity!
Give yourself a moment to just breathe. That’s right, just breathe deeply.
Breathing deeply is beneficial to your body. It provides oxygen to our blood, cells, and brain. It releases 70% of our body’s toxins, massages our internal organs, lowers our stress and blood pressure while strengthening our lungs and heart. Although it has many benefits, we still find it difficult to take the time to breathe deeply.
In a spiritual sense, deep breathing is essential for relaxing the state of mind so it can connect with the body, which helps bring clarity and insights from your soul.
Dr. Herbert Benson was one of the first to perform tests on yogis (practitioners of yoga) and the benefits of meditation on their bodies. He later termed the phrase, the Relaxation Response, which shows that meditation or deep breathing promotes better health and inner peace. Yes, yoga and meditation are great ways to slow down and relax. But what if joining a class is not in your budget, or you may not have a lot of time?
You will be surprised where you can fit in time to take a few deep breaths.
Don’t worry these are not drawn out breathing exercises but more like tips and reminders to take a few moments to just breathe.
When you take these deep breaths, make sure you breathe in through your nose and exhale out your mouth. Hold for a few seconds after your inhale before you release.
Your exhale should be twice as long as your inhale. Do this at least 3 times. You will notice after each time, your breaths will be longer and your body will begin to relax.
Some great places for a breather when you are busy:
- In the shower
- At a red light
- Standing in line
- In standstill traffic
- In the elevator
- Sitting in your office
Try to do this 2 times a day but at least once. A good time is in the morning before you start your busy day to get in the right mindset and once at night before you drift off to sleep.
You can also do this if you come across a stressful situation or just need to calm down.
Do this with mindfulness and watch your attitude change over time. You will notice that you aren’t getting stressed out over petty things. Take a breather to easily calm your mind.