Did you know that you can’t take a deep conscious breath and feel stressed at the same time?
Often I hear friends and clients talk about how stressed they are. I always, always ask if they like that feeling and my favorite part of asking that question is seeing the look on their faces! Of course they don’t like it- they know it and I know it. Is there anyone alive that really likes to feel stressed? The problem is that high stress has become so commonplace, we’ve learned to live with it and not think twice about how we should really be living in a lower stress world.
Stress IS a normal part of our lives though, we can’t escape that. How we deal with that stress makes all the difference in the world in how it will affect the quality of our lives and health.
Here’s a challenge for you. The next time you catch yourself saying, “I’m so stressed!”, take that moment to reset and take a deep, conscious breath.
What do I mean by that?
Noticing our behavior is crucial and allows the opportunity for change to happen. When we are on autopilot and not noticing our behavior it is near impossible to feel relaxed and by extension – empowered to live our best life. The moment we notice our behavior, we then have a choice to stop and empower ourselves with how we are going to allow the situation or emotion at hand to affect us.
Life is going to happen, stress is going to happen – but how we choose to deal with it becomes a healing opportunity in the moment. @intuitionheals (Click to Tweet!)
This will sound strange, but whenever you are blessed (yes, blessed) to notice that you’re stressed, take a pause.
In that moment take a big deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. As you inhale slowly and deeply through the nose, tell yourself, “As I inhale my body relaxes.”
When you can’t inhale anymore – take another moment and pause before you begin your exhalation.
Pausing during a breath creates space for pivotal change. As you begin your exhalation out of your mouth, tell yourself, “As I exhale all of the stress and tension in my body is leaving.” Picture the stress leaving your body – imagine all the stress is in a balloon and imagine yourself releasing that balloon and watching it float up, up and away. Another one I like to visualize is to picture yourself standing on the beach with your feet in the water. Picture the water pulling the stress out of you every time the waves pull back.
Practicing this for five slow, deep breaths will allow your body to feel empowered in the moment as any feeling of pressure or powerlessness will begin to melt away as you continue to breathe consciously and deeply.
I know it may seem too good to be true, but give it a try if you find yourself feeling stressed and pressured most of the day. You’ll be amazed how just a few simple moments of conscious breathing can help your entire day, and your stress levels!
Remember, things in our life can feel stressful but it doesn’t mean we have to become the stress. When we remember to breathe, we are reminded that we have a choice with how the moment is going to affect us.
Huge hugs to your beautiful Heart!
Robin
Robin Lee is a medical intuitive, author, mentor, gratitude advocate, and speaker who has helped thousands of people around the world understand the language of their bodies. Robin believes that our bodies innately know how to balance and heal themselves if given proper care and support. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter, where she shares tips, tools, and techniques to honor our bodies and heal our lives!
Image courtesy of Nico Borie.
