Choose You Blog

One of my biggest goals was to reduce the stress in my daily life. To me, that was one of the causes of my unhealthy lifestyle. I know that I’m not the only one to stuff my face with carbs to feel better or grab a cookie when the day feels like it’s too much to handle.

Even though my day-to-day life isn’t super stressful, the little (and big) things always seem to creep up on me! I don’t like to be thrown into the pressure cooker, and if I find myself there, then I have to be in perfect control. Well, we all know that life is the furthest thing from perfect or controlled. So, what’s a girl to do when she has to face these struggles to keep it going? First thing? Take a deep breath.

I’ve always been a “sigh-er, ” but this is much different. doing deep breath exercises has really changed my energy. It gives me a chance to center myself and my thoughts. I consider it yoga for my mind and soul. It’s quick and I can do it anywhere and at any time.

To make sure that I was getting the most out of my breaths, I found this great article on DrWeil.com. The article lays out three deep breathing exercise designed to really help relieve stress and focus your thoughts. My favorite is the 4-7-8 exercise.

Here’s the rundown: Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

* Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

* Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

* Hold your breath for a count of seven.

* Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

* This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

I love this exercise because it’s simple and can really be done anywhere! As a matter of fact, I do this at my desk, on the bus, and even walking down the streets. Do any of you practice deep breathing techniques? If so, I’d love to hear them! For other ways to manage stress, check out some of the Choose You blog entries from earlier this week! I’ve definitely learned a few things from reading the other posts, and I think that you will too!