The Intentional Art of Breathing
(In order to survive your crazy day)
There is so much happening in this world that is trying to grab your attention (including this blog post). From social media, to the latest event in Calgary and area, super stressful work, dealing with your loved one, having to cook supper and then, if there’s any down time, prepping for lunch the next day only to start the whole “rut” of life again. With ongoing busyness of life, it can create much stress and anxiety that after awhile can build up to a boiling point of just not caring anymore or just not having the energy to even remember to have a decent breakfast before work. And before you know it your fighting feelings of depression or just feeling completely overwhelmed. It is so important to apply the art of intentional breathing in our daily lives in order to support ourselves when life gets really intense and before you know it were physically and emotionally just plain out of breath.
Why do we have to be intentional about breathing?
Allow me to paint a picture for you as to the reason why it’s important to be intentional about our breathing. Imagine if the inside of your brain is like a balloon. If our brain balloon is filled to capacity then we are at full thought capacity, which is also linked to the rest of our physical body and emotions. When our brain balloon is full, we will have more opportunities to make better, wiser and calmer decisions and cope with stress more effectively.
When the cares of life, such as stress, hit us, that is when the balloon lets go of the air leaving us with either a half-filled balloon or a completely shriveled up balloon. The less air in the balloon the less thought and emotional capacity we have to make healthy choices and decisions. The less air in the balloon, the more likely we are to either freak out, feel paralyzed which all can lead to increased feelings of anxiousness and depression. Needles to say if you already deal with feeling down, stressed or making impulsive decisions, it is very important to make sure the balloon in your brain is full of as much air as possible in order to help you cope with life’s challenges more effectively.
What is Intentional Breathing?
Intentional breathing is getting to a point when you become fully aware you are not breathing properly and making a conscious effort to intentionally practice the art of breathing.
When do You Intentionally Breathe?
The obvious answer to when do we breathe intentionally is always. However, often times, we get caught up in situations that causes stress or anxiety, and next thing you know your breathing has become very shallow and not intentional. It’s in these moments of shallow breathing we need to catch ourselves and begin breathing more deeply right away in order to get the invisible balloon in our brain to be filled up again. Keep in mind, intentional breathing may not happen overnight. Quite often, we’ll go through a stressful event and then realize were not breathing properly. That’s okay. At least your catching yourself now which is better than not catching yourself at all.
Where do you Intentionally Breathe?
The great thing about intentional breathing is that since everyone has to breathe, we can breathe intentionally around our co-workers and family without drawing attention to ourselves. The best is if you can be alone in a quiet, less distracting environment, however, if you’re in a team meeting or an open desk area at work you can focus on your breathing habits as needed.
How do You Intentionally Breathe?
There are actually very many styles and techniques to breathe intentionally. One of the easiest and effective breathing strategies out today is to simply follow these easy intentional breathing steps:
For five seconds, take a slow deep breath through your nose (your mouth if you have a cold) a and imagine your brain balloon filling up.
Hold your breath for 5 seconds.
Slowly release your breath through your mouth for five seconds (imagine all the stress/anxiety leaving your body).
Refill your brain balloon.
When we Intentionally Breathe, we allow our mind, body and emotions the opportunity to be filled with a healthy dose of oxygen, rather than mini moments of shallow breathing that just doesn’t cut it when we need to deal with life’s challenges. With practice we can begin to become mentally and emotionally healthier by actively filling our brain balloon by actively pursuing the intentional art of breathing.
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Jeremiah La Follette (MCC, RPC) is a registered professional counsellor who has a passion for providing positive results by restoring individual wholeness and healthy relationships.
For more information go to New Life Counselling or call 403-690-8617 for a free 15 minute consult. To set up online counselling (telehealth) (CLICK HERE).
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