Dissolve Stress With This Simple Breathing Technique

Dissolve Stress With This Simple Calm Breathing Technique.Learn to apply the diaphragmatic based Calm Breathing Technique to let go of stress and create a renewing Relaxation Response for mind and body.Important Note: Please do not listen to this episode while driving or doing other activities requiring your full attention. Always consult a licensed medical doctor or other appropriate medical professional for any issue of concern. By listening to this or any other episode of “Mind Over Stress, you agree to take full, complete, and sole responsibility for your own wellbeing.To Begin:Spend about 30 seconds noticing your breathing. Just notice it. Get a sense of the frequency and intensity of your breathing.Next, recall a recent experience when you felt stress. Bring to mind the memory of that experience and recall the location, any people present, and the circumstances contributing to the stressful situation. Stay with that memory for about 20 to 30 seconds and then notice your breathing again.Compare your post stress memory breathing with the first baseline breathing pattern. What are the differences? Was the baseline breath slower? Were you breathing more rapidly after reliving the stress situation in the theater of your mind? Your Mind - Body Connection:This simple exercise illustrates how connected breathing is with what you see, hear, and experience in the physical world and when you replay stress inducing memories. Your physiology responds to the images, thoughts, and feelings created by brain activity.But what isn’t widely known is the opposite is also true: images, thoughts, and feelings respond to conscious breathing. You can change your mind by changing your breathing pattern.For many clients a stress dissolving method called Calm Breathing Technique, or CBT, has become their go to method for rapid stress relief. By the way, for the therapists reading this post I suggest encouraging your clients to incorporate this breath-based CBT method with the psychological treatment method called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (also called CBT) and other talk and Energy Psychology treatment approaches.3 Stages of Breath-Based CBTThe three stages of breath-based CBT include: * Diaphragmatic Touch and Breathe; * Two Mind Directing Words;* Vagus Nerve Sound Stimulation.Stage two builds on stage one and stage three builds on stage two. Many clients who said they had problems applying traditional meditation methods find this breath-based CBT method easy, effective, and enjoyable. It’s a method they stick with and experience deepening benefits from ongoing practice.How You Benefit by Listening to This Episode:In this episode you’ll learn how to apply Diaphragmatic Touch and Breathe, the foundation practice of the breath-based CBT method. This practice alone will typically lower or eliminate what’s called the Stress Response and encourage what’s called the Relaxation Response, which creates a calmer state of mind and body. I’ll share guidance on how to apply stage two and three in a future post. If you would like to receive the full breath-based CBT guide, email me at [email protected] and simply enter, “CBT Guide” in the subject line.Diaphragmatic Touch and Breathe:To begin, let’s identify a baseline level of stress. We’ll use the Subject Units of Distress, or SUDs scale for this initial assessment.Close your eyes and ask out loud or in mind, “How stressed am I right now on a zero to 10 scale?”. Zero equals no stress and 10 represents the maximum stress level you can imagine. If using the SUDs scale doesn’t feel comfortable, simply assess your starting stress level on a low, medium, or high scale. Here are the simple Diaphragmatic Touch and Breathe steps:* Begin with a yawn, sight, and stretch. Yawn, stretch, and sigh even if you don’t feel like you need to.* Sit or stand with your head up, ears over shoulders and shoulders over hips. Avoid a military type “attention” posture. Have an upright, but relaxed posture.* Place your dominant hand on the solar plexus area of your lower abdomen and your other hand on the upper chest. Really feel the physical connections.* Consciously allow a loving in-breath. The lower hand should rise first. If the upper hand moves first, you’re engaged in chest breathing rather than diaphragmatic breathing.* Once you are consciously allowing diaphragmatic breathing in and out, you can lower the hand touching the upper chest to your side or lap.* Breathe in through your nose (if you have a nasal blockage breathe through your mouth) for a count of four or five seconds. Hold for a second and then exhale slowly for a count of about eight seconds. Remember to allow the inbreathe rather than “take” the inbreathe. Allow the breathing to be gentle and loving. Really feel the breath as slowly inhale and exhale.* If you can safely close your eyes, go ahead and do so as you allow the rhythmic Diaphragmatic Breathing to continue. If thoughts enter your mind, simply notice those thoughts and let them float away as you return attention to your Diagrammatic Breathing. Continue attending to your breathing as long as you like. I suggest applying Diaphragmatic Breathing.for at least one to two minutes. End your session with another yawn, stretch and sigh.After one to two minutes of Diaphragmatic Breathing, check back into your body and assess your level of stress using the SUDs scale or the, low, medium, or high assessment. In all likelihood, your stress level has decreased dramatically. This foundational step can do wonders to crate a positive Relaxation Response state of mind and body. When you learn the steps for stages two and three of the breath-based CBT method, you’ll experience an even deeper state of felt wellbeing.Get the Breath-Based CBT GuideAs a reminder, If you would like to receive the full breath-based CBT guide, email me at [email protected] and simply enter, “CBT Guide” in the subject line.Until our next visit, may you enjoy blessings in abundance.Stephen CarterCEO, Stress Solutions, LLC | www.EFT-MD.com | Podcast: www.MindOverStress.us | Additional Blog: https://StressMastery.blogspot.com