IF YOU DO ONE THING THIS WEEK . . . TAKE A BREATHER
REMEMBER TO breathe. It may seem like redundant advice, given that you breathe in and out all day and night without thinking about it.
But focusing on your breath and making sure you draw a decent amount of air into your lungs can be a quick and simple way to help quell rising anxiety, ease tension, get energy levels back up or buy yourself a precious second or two to assess a situation before you react.
Breathing is an automatic function in our bodies – a respiratory centre in your brainstem directs proceedings – but it’s easy to switch to more conscious control, and breath awareness and training are important components of yoga and meditation, which can help people alleviate stress and improve general wellbeing.
Still, you don’t have to seek out space and quiet to get the benefits of some well-drawn breaths: try it before a meeting, if you feel worry growing, or when Junior starts throwing groceries out of the supermarket trolley.
Ready? Shoulders back, relax, now breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
