Breathe

There are times when life throws you curve balls that can’t be caught. It feels more like were thrown and landed right in your throat. Life is choking you. Everything in you wants to stop, but as time moves you must do the same. Each second might feel like an hour, but you are still breathing. Your next best action, deepen your breath, then focus on your breath.

Pause, close your eyes, breathe in for five seconds through your nose. Hold your breath for five seconds, and breathe out for five seconds through your nose.

Repeat this exercise three times.

Be patient with what comes up, be patient with your feelings, and know this too shall pass.

Remember every moment is new moment.

Breathe, and take one small next action that will help you. If you need to breathe again, do it. If you need to cry, that is fine too.

Know that the ebb and flow of life brings a lot to carry. With each challenge, growth and goodness is on the other side.

For now, just breathe.

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Visit us on Wednesday for yoga poses for breathing and lungs.

Peace + Blessings,

We are excited to work with the American Heart Association to bring you great advice on heart health as well as health and wellness overall. This week for Wellness Wednesdays we are sharing Four Ways to Deal With Stress. December is known to be one of the most stressful times of the year. We want you to stay calm, healthy, and happy. Here are some great tips from the American Heart Association to keep your stress level down. Take a deep breath and enjoy.

Positive Self-Talk

Self-talk is one way to deal with stress. We all talk to ourselves; sometimes we talk out loud but usually we keep self-talk in our heads. Self-talk can be positive (“I can do this” or “Things will work out”) or negative (“I’ll never get well” or “I’m so stupid”). Negative self-talk increases stress. Positive self-talk helps you calm down and control stress. With practice, you can learn to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. To help you feel better, practice positive self-talk every day — in the car, at your desk, before you go to bed or whenever you notice negative thoughts.

Having trouble getting started? Try positive statements such as these:

“I’ve got this.”

“I can get help if I need it.”

“We can work it out.”

“I won’t let this problem get me down.”

“Things could be worse.”

“I’m human, and we all make mistakes.”

“Some day I’ll laugh about this.”

“I can deal with this situation.”

Remember: Positive self-talk helps you relieve stress and deal with the situations that cause you stress.

Emergency Stress Stoppers

There are many stressful situations — at work, at home, on the road and in public places. We may feel stress because of poor communication, too much work and everyday hassles like standing in line. Emergency stress stoppers help you deal with stress on the spot. Try these emergency stress stoppers. You may need different stress stoppers for different situations and sometimes it helps to combine them.

Count to 10 before you speak.

Take three to five deep breaths.

Walk away from the stressful situation, and say you’ll handle it later.

Go for a walk.

Don’t be afraid to say “I’m sorry” if you make a mistake.

Set your watch five to 10 minutes ahead to avoid the stress of being late.

Break down big problems into smaller parts. For example, answer one letter or phone call per day, instead of dealing with everything at once.

Finding Pleasure

When stress makes you feel bad, do something that makes you feel good. Doing things you enjoy is a natural way to fight off stress. You don’t have to do a lot to find pleasure. Even if you’re ill or down, you can find pleasure in simple things such as going for a drive, chatting with a friend or reading a good book. Try to do at least one thing every day that you enjoy, even if you only do it for 15 minutes.

Ideas —

Start an art project (oil paint, sketch, create a scrap book or finger paint with grandchildren).

Start or revisit a hobby.

Read a favorite book, short story, magazine or newspaper.

Have coffee or a meal with friends.

Dance or exercise.

Sew, knit or crochet.

Listen to music during or after you practice relaxation.

Spend time in nature

Daily Relaxation

Relaxation is more than sitting in your favorite chair watching TV. To relieve stress, relaxation should calm the tension in your mind and body. Some good forms of relaxation are yoga, tai chi (a series of slow, graceful movements) and meditation. Like most skills, relaxation takes practice. Many people join a class to learn and practice relaxation skills.

Deep breathing is a form of relaxation you can learn and practice at home. It’s a good skill to practice as you start or end your day. With daily practice, you will soon be able to use this skill whenever you feel stressed. Try to take at least five to 10 minutes every day for deep breathing or another form of relaxation. Here are some breathing exercises to try.

Read more at the American Heart Association.

Peace and blessings,

Photo: pixabay.com