Micro-actions can have major impact.
Contrary to belief, achieving grandiose milestones is not always necessary in order to have a meaningful change in your life. Small, intentional actions every day can help maintain the balance in our lives. The truth is, there’s no such thing as no stress in life. Life will always come with its peaks and valleys, its ebbs and flows.
Creating healthy coping mechanisms, taking breaks, and not neglecting our own needs are important in order to build resiliency.
This resiliency isn’t about not ever feeling down or even being knocked down, but it’s how we are able to handle the punches life throws at us. Believe it or not, there are few simple ways we can increase the peacefulness and use whenever we need a little more strength to get through the day.
Deep controlled breathing techniques are known to cause physiological changes that include: lower blood pressure and heart rate, and reduce levels of stress hormones in the blood. Many times we cannot avoid stressors but we can choose how to respond in periods of stress. Certain stressors may require different responses.
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For prolonged periods of stress I may need to enforce boundaries that prioritize peace, quiet, and a bit of solitude.
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For acute periods of stress or unexpected stressors (e.g., difficult meeting with boss, tough conversations with family members or significant other, etc.) in these moments, maybe I simply need to breathe through the moment + positive self talk to get through it.
Deep breathing cycle — One of my favorite and personal techniques is what I consider a deep breathing cycle. For a minimum of 3 rounds, take 1 deep slow inhale through the nose, pause for a moment, and slowly release through nose (or mouth). Repeat 3-5x at minimum.
What triggers me to do this? Well, usually when I feel rage start flowing through me LOL but seriously, sometimes you have to think “it’s not even worth it” or talk yourself down and force yourself to take a breath. Usually when we experience anxiety or anger, our breathing naturally becomes more rapid and this allows us to manually slow down.
Implement deep breathing into your daily practice. The great news about this, is that you can legitimately do this anytime, anywhere, at any moment. Take notice of situations that triggers your stress response and see if you can deep breathe through it. How do you feel before and after utilizing this technique?