Mindfulness of breath: how to reduce stress and anxiety

Our lives are subjective to our mental states. If your mind is stressed and anxious, everything around you will feel the same. Your interactions with people and your world will be through the lenses of stress and anxiety. If you frequently feel stuck, and that is hard for you to think clearly, your mind could be overthinking due to stress. High levels of stress decrease your capacity to hold information and problem solve. If you experience anxiety, your account is even more cloudy, and problem-solving is harder for you. For cultivating a more balanced state of mind, consider focusing inwardly. Each person should have self-care breaks to look inside within themselves, like a mental health quick check-in. Focusing on looking inwardly is a proven mental health strategy to improve emotional well being. Here are three proven self- care strategies that you start doing today to reduce stress and anxiety. Focusing inwardly First strategy: Pay attention to your breath During your day set reminders and take three one minute breathing breaks. Just for one minute, focus on your breath. you can do this seated or standing. Observe each inhalation and exhalation meticulously. Feel the rise and fall of each breath for a minute. Second strategy: Pay attention to your emotions Before you take to lunch, find a comfortable seated position, and close your eyes. For one minute, place your hands on your chest and observe if you can sense emotion. Notice the sensations in your body and see if you can identify any feelings or emotions in your body. Stay with the sensations for one minute. Third strategy: Pay attention to body tension We tensed up through the day when we get stressed and anxious. Sometimes we don’t realize that we have been carrying a lot of body tension all day. Before going to bed, sit on your couch, and close your eyes. Focus inwardly and scan your body. Find areas in your body that you feel the tension. Stretch, or reposition your body. Relax the tightness and gripping of muscle tension on your body. Why pay attention Self-awareness By paying attention to your breath, your body, and your emotions, you will increase self-awareness about your stress and anxiety. As a result, you will notice when you are stressed quicker, and you will be able to take care of it. When you let go quickly of your stress you will reduce your anxiety and stay calmer. New brain connections You will also be teaching your brain to establish new connections that will create more balance in your central nervous system. The new connections will retrain your brain to start focusing more staying calm and feeling safe. You will be taking advantage of self- directed brain training and your mind will begin to learn that the stress response is counterproductive. Final thoughts Our mind, our breath and our body are frequently giving us signs that carry a message. A lot of the time, we ignore those messages. Self-care does not have to be complicated or expensive. The only thing you need to do is focus more inwardly. One quote: “My mind cannot hold two thoughts at the same time. I can take advantage of this by redirecting my mind’s focus. I have the power within me to redirect a fearful thought into a calming thought. “ Tamy Khan One question Which one of the strategies will be a good fit for you? ----- If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe and/or leave a review. If you'd like more information or want to connect with me, visit https://happymeditator.com/