Stressed? No sleep?
Physical hardship? Gruelling environment? Plagued by anxious thoughts and feelings?
Whether you’re a new parent, working too much in stressful situations, going through a divorce or recovering from a trauma…your life is out of control…and it doesn’t have to be.
We live in a time where we are bombarded with information…and that, in itself can be a stressor. We live in a time where there never seems to be enough time…to do what you want to do…to relax…really relax…to have fun…to spend quality time with the people we love…
What’s Really Happening to You?
- When you feel like you have control of your own thoughts and feelings, you have access to those resources that you have…deep inside…
- When you panic, you have difficulty accessing those resources…
- When we are under stress, chronic or sudden stress, we HOLD OUR BREATH….that’s right….
Watch the next time that you feel anxious or panicked or you’re rushing around the house in a mad dash getting ready for the day…and see what your breath is doing…
Or maybe it’s a fight that you’re in and you’re talking SO fast, that you forget to take a breath…until you have to…
There will be long moments of holding the breath…and that makes you feel bad…and it’s totally natural to do that…even if it makes the situation worse…
That, my friends, is big time stress and anxiety for your bodies. It elevates your blood pressure, sends cortisol and other stress hormones raging through you. This is a part of the fight or flight response…and yes, there is something simple…very simple…and free….that you can do…to help yourself…
The Navy Seal Secret
Navy Seals live with stress…and cold…and physical and emotional hardship. Here is one of their secrets to dealing with that…and I think it’s the most important one…because of the beauty of its simplicity…and the fact that anyone can do it…no matter what physical shape they are in.
When you can deal with what lies in front of you…without panic…then you have a sense, a feeling of being in control.
So, here it is.
Breathe for a count of six. Hold for a count of two. Exhale for a count of six.
Do it again.
Breathe like this for four sets…and see how much calmer you feel. The stress just melts away….your mind quiets…and then, when your mind is calm…you can think of solutions…or see that it’s not as bad as you thought…that you can do this…
Make this a daily habit.
Start your day off right…before those thoughts start to race…before you even get out of bed. Do this breathing exercise.
In the middle of the day, at your afternoon coffee break, take a minute or two and repeat.
Do it again, just before you drift off to bed…so that you can have a deeper more relaxed sleep, where you can dream all of those dreams…
And it can be simple…just like that…because you deserve to have peace, don’t you, my friends?
“Drive your own life…you deserve to, don’t you?” Sherie Venner
Sherie
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Perfect!!
Simple, effective, and yet so many people don’t know how to breathe.
No wonder folks act so odd at times…oxygen-deprived brains!
Well said, Rob!! Thank you for commenting!
Sherie recently posted..If You Can Do This Like A Navy Seal, Then You Can Knock Out Stress