Techniques to Slow Down and Breathe

11/12/19 • 7 min

Whenever you are stressed or anxious, you tend to increase your risk of depression, insomnia, and so on. Oftentimes the best advice, however, is to slow down and take a deep breath. But unfortunately, many people see it as an old cliché because they do not understand how this process works.

One of my patients once said, “Dr. Jones, I really do not believe that breathing can ward off my anxiety and stress; is there any other more effective way?” My answer has always been, “You need to learn the right techniques to slow down and breathe; it works great to calm you down and make you feel rested.”

Your autonomic nervous system, which controls processes like digestion, heart rate, and breathing, is responsible for turning our internal dials up and down.

When you run into a lion, for example, your heart rate goes off the roof, and you begin to breathe rapidly and shallowly. At this point, your autonomic nervous system steps in to calm you down. But this can be hard if you’re not physically exerting yourself. You are likely to experience symptoms like:

Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Confusion
Nausea
A lump in the throat
Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet

However, the good news is that you can reverse these symptoms by practicing changing your breathing. We teach several techniques to slow down and breathe at our Chiropractic Office at Elizabeth City, NC. Yea, these techniques stimulate the body’s parasympathetic response/ relaxation response, which are characterized by the following physical changes:

Breathing slows
Heart rate slows
Oxygen consumption decreases
Muscles tension decreases
Blood pressure decreases
Calmness in mind

Techniques to Slow Down and Breathe

You need to understand that when you’re anxious, you often breathe into your upper chest instead of breathing into your lower chest. This is the major cause of hyperventilation (shallow upper breathing).

But the following techniques will help you take a deeper, slower breath:

1. Natural Breathing or Abdominal breathing

This breathing technique is what we all should practice all day long, except you’re involved in physical activity. It is the opposite of what we experience during anxious moments. (Your abdomen expands as you breathe instead of your chest). More so, it helps to supply sufficient oxygen to the body and controls the exhalation of carbon dioxide.

How it goes:

Gently inhale enough air through your nose into your lower lungs alone. And then breathe out slowly. Your upper chest should remain still while your stomach will expand.
Continue this gentle breathing technique with a relaxed attitude, and focus on filling only your lower lungs.

2. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing or Calming Breath

You can use this breathing technique whenever you are feeling anxious or panicky. It slows a rapid heartbeat and promotes physical comfort.

How it goes:

Breathe in slowly through your nose, filling your lower lungs and your upper lungs.
Suspend your breath and count to “three.”
Purse your lips and exhale slowly, relaxing the muscles in your jaws, face, stomach, and shoulders.

You can try this technique at least 10 times a day for several weeks. Use it whenever you want to let go of tension, and whenever you begin to feel anxiety or panic building.

3. Calming Counts

This technique is more beneficial than a calming breath. It takes about 90 seconds to complete rather than 30 seconds. This helps you focus on other tasks rather than your worrying thoughts.

How it goes:

Sit comfortably and take a long, deep breath. Then, exhale slowly while saying the word “relax” in your head.
Close your eyes and take 10 natural breaths. Then, exhale with a countdown, starting with “ten.”
While breathing comfortably, imagine any tensions loosening, perhaps in your forehead, jaw, or stomach.
When you count down to “one,” open your eyes and again and repeat.

As you practice these three techniques, always remember that your current thoughts have a huge influence on your breathing. So try replacing your negative thoughts with positive thoughts as you work on your breath during a panic.

Your autonomic nervous system, which controls processes like digestion, heart rate, and breathing, is responsible for turning our internal dials up and down.

Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Confusion
Nausea
A lump in the throat
Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet

Breathing slows
Heart rate slows
Oxygen consumption decreases
Muscles tension decreases
Blood pressure decreases
Calmness in mind

Techniques to Slow Down and Breathe

But the following techniques will help you take a deeper, slower breath:

1. Natural Breathing or Abdominal breathing

How it goes:

2. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing or Calming Breath

You can use this breathing technique whenever you are feeling anxious or panicky. It slows a rapid heartbeat and promotes physical comfort.

How it goes:

You can try this technique at least 10 times a day for several weeks. Use it whenever you want to let go of tension, and whenever you begin to feel anxiety or panic building.

3. Calming Counts

This technique is more beneficial than a calming breath. It takes about 90 seconds to complete rather than 30 seconds. This helps you focus on other tasks rather than your worrying thoughts.

How it goes:

Previous Episode

How to Prioritize the Holidays and Artfully Say "No" when Appropriate

The holiday season is always filled with so many activities, so you might get overwhelmed if you don’t get your priorities right. Yes, and you have to learn how to artfully say “NO” to some invitations, favors, and requests to avoid the exhaustion that follows saying “yes” when you really didn’t mean it. Basically, we can over-stress ourselves until the tank is empty bringing on illness/sickness.

The truth is that your schedule might be even more full than usual during this holiday. And you would feel like you don’t have enough time to attend to all. Well, you’re not alone here. Many people who have come to me saying, “Dr. Jason Jones, how can I prioritize during the forthcoming holidays because I feel I have too much to do in a short time?” Well, I will show you the best-proven ways to get it right. Just continue reading!

How to Prioritize the Holidays

The best way to prioritize is to do the most important things first. Here is how to go about it:

Firstly, make a list of what you want and need to do daily and weekly during the holidays. Then for each item, decide if you need to:

Delay- Sometimes, you need to put some things off until later to focus on pressing needs. For example, if you have a plan to begin a fitness routine, you can delay that till January because that’s a better period to start an exercise routine than November.

Delete: The truth is that not everything is actually important. You can say “NO” to extra activities, especially if you’re not excited doing them. For example, you might find it boring to prepare a dessert from scratch. So it’s okay to delete that and opt for a store-bought dessert.

Delegate: You’ll wear yourself out if you think you can handle everything. You can handle the most sensitive or robust aspect of tasks and delegate others to your spouse, children, friends, or coworkers.

Do it: Well, if you cannot delay, delete, or delegate, then you just have to do it. This role should comprise of the most important (like paying bills), but exciting stuff (like making those delicious cookies your family enjoy mostly once in a while, say a year)

You’ll notice that I only gave my examples. So you can check your to-do list for the holidays and prioritize them using the guide above.

How to Artfully Say “No” During the Holidays

You will probably get a lot of invitations to gatherings and holiday parties this year. But you need to learn the art of saying “no” to some if you want to protect your physical and mental health. You don’t have to feel “obliged” to attend every event.

So after looking at your events holistically and prioritizing, here’s how to say no to “not-so-important” invitations, favors, and requests:

1. Express Gratitude and Pass quickly

If you have to pass on any invitation, it’s important to show that you appreciate the offer before saying a “no.” However, don’t delay your response, because most time, budgets are dependent on the number of attendees. Don’t let your reply exceed a week.

2. Write a Note but Keep it short

Once you decide you are not going to attend a holiday party, you can write a short note to let the planner know how appreciative you are for the invite. Then wish them a happy holiday, and politely say “no.”

3. Rehearse your Speech for In-person Invites

Sometimes, you may need to rehearse your response in front of a mirror. It works great to help you decline politely with your spoken words. Research shows that the time you spend in preparing to say “no” to an invite will do much to ensure that your host will not be offended by your response.

4. Suggest Alternative Times to Meet

You can suggest other times in January for some meetings that can still be re-scheduled. By then, you’ll have more energy and time to mingle. This way, you’ll show that you care and are interested in spending time with the host.

Other ways you could say “no” artfully include sending a holiday card or responding with a more non-committal response, like “That’s lovely, I will check my schedule and get back to you.”

Maximize your holidays, but ensure you prioritize your activities to know how best to use your time and energy.

Next Episode

Simple Practical Natural Self Care Tips to Prevent Illness

Do you know that your daily lifestyle can contribute to the development of illnesses? Yea, if you put your work and career as top priority over your health, you may become stressed over time and soon develop “overload burnout.”

More so, poor nutrition and emotional strain and anxiety can affect your health negatively. Your immune system becomes weak, and you become prone to many illnesses/diseases. That’s why at our Elizabeth City, NC Chiropractic Office, we have been teaching natural self care tips to prevent illnesses.

The truth is that you don’t necessarily have to take any over-the-counter medication to prevent illnesses. That comes with lots of side effects that may become as deadly as you grow old. But you can prevent illness effectively using some natural self care measures.

Many people have asked me, “Dr. Jones, how do I take care of myself naturally to prevent illness without any form of toxic medication?” Well, in this article, I have compiled a list of some practical natural self care tips that can help you prevent illnesses. Check them out!

1. Eat healthily

Most fast foods contain a high amount of sugar, trans fat, artificial preservatives, and other unhealthy ingredients. These substances can put you at risk of weight gain, diabetes, hardened arteries, heart problems, and some types of cancer.

Switching to a healthier diet is a great direction to start with. Eat foods like vegetables, fruits, clean meats, sea food, and so on. You can plan meals ahead to avoid unhealthy temptations.

Also, do not skip your breakfast because for many it is the most important meal of the day. More so, it helps you stay away from snacking during the rest of the day. This way, you will keep your stomach upset, which is commonly associated with digestive problems and weight gain at bay.

2. Exercise Regularly

If you follow a sedentary lifestyle or sit in front of a computer for hours, your muscles tend to become stiff and contracted. And this immobility puts you at risk of severe pains and injuries.

Hence, ensure you exercise regularly. Start your day with some light exercises like stretching, sit-up, push-up, brisk walking, jogging, yard work, etc. Then at work, make sure you practice stretching from time to time or take short and brisk walks two to three times a day.

3. Keep Good Hygiene

Always instill the habit of washing your hands regularly because it can be a channel to introduce germs into your body. You may wonder, “how?” Well, it’s simple. The materials we touch during the day can harbor germs that can be introduced into our food while eating with our hands. Hence, wash your hands from time to time to prevent germs and illness.

4. Avoid Sugary Foods and Drink Lots of Water

When you consume an excess of sugar, it can affect your weight and cause conditions like type-2 diabetes and obesity. Hence, try to cut back on soda, sugary desserts, candy, and other sweet foods, which can cause a rise in your level of blood sugar.

Remember, conditions like diabetes can affect your kidneys, heart, eyes, and nerves over time. So ensure you avoid sugary foods.

Also, drink at least 8-10 glasses of water every day, depending on the nature of your physical activity. Water helps to flush out toxins and harmful chemicals from your body.

5. Quit Smoking

Smoking can cause blood clots, which may prevent the free-flow of blood, leading to the development of plaque in your arteries and blood vessels. Hence, ensure you stop taking cigarettes and other tobacco products to prevent illness.

Other practical natural self care tips include healthy sleeping, avoiding unnecessary stress, and getting wellness Chiropractic adjustments.

Remember, you need to pay proper attention to your body if you want to stay healthy and free from illness. So, use the natural self care tips above to keep your body and mind working optimally.