Action4Balance

Beathing is a necessity of life and we tend to take it for granted.

When a person is under stress the body becomes tense and our breathing shallow.

As a result:

1. We breathe in less oxygen and breathe out less toxic waste product carbon dioxide.
2. Our muscles ache and we feel pain especially in the neck and shoulder area.

Improper breathing contributes to anxiety, panic attacks, depression, muscle tension, headaches, and fatigue.

However we can do it the other way round as well - when we relax our bodies we can effectively reduce stress.

Deep breathing is a very simple but very effective stress management method. It works well in conjunction with other relaxation techniques such as Progressive Muscular Relaxation, visualization and meditation for stress relief.

Take Action:

- Inhale through the nose slowly and deeply to count of five (Make sure that the stomach and abdomen expand but the chest does not raise up)
- Exhale through the mouth, slowly and completely, making a quite, relaxing,whooshing sound like a wind as you blow gently out. Relax your mouth,tongue and jaw; also to the count of five
- To help quiet the mind, concentrate fully on breathing and counting through each cycle
- Repeat five to ten times and make a habit of doing the exercise several times a day, even when not feeling stressed.

While a deep breathing exercise can be learned in some minutes and you will experience immediate stress relief, the profound effects of this exercise may be fully appreciated only after month of persistent practice.

TIP: Start practicing the deep breathing for stress reduction when NOT stressed. When in stressful situation you will be able to do it automatically in order to obtain the stress relief. When under pressure and stress you could find useful to use herbal remedies for stress relief to obtain feeling of balance and wellbeing.