De-Stress and Practice Breathing

De-Stress and Practice Healthy Breathing

Stress is often a byproduct of a busy, dedicated lifestyle. It's a part of life for all of us in today's world. Left unchecked, stress can contribute to inflammation.

We need to work on decreasing our stress levels. To start, here are nine tips for de-stressing your life:

1. De-stress your job. Most on-the-job stress is a result of poor communication, so work with your colleagues and supervisor to improve your job satisfaction. Ask your supervisor about your performance, how you fit, what you can do better, and what chances there are for promotion. This concrete information will help you to fight feelings of under appreciation and unfulfillment. 
2. Exercise. Inactivity can directly raise your inflammatory state, while sufficient exercise is probably the single most effective way to lower it while also decreasing stress.
3. Get out and about. One of the best ways to decrease stress is to spend time with people we enjoy. If you are in a pinch, call upon your support network and schedule an activity together.
4. Go natural. Get in touch with your 10,000-year-old design. Take a walk on the beach and feel the waves on your ankles, rent a cabin in the country, or hike in the pristine air of a high-alpine region. Leave behind the madness of our high-tech world.
5. Treat your body. Try a light massage, deep structural therapy, or even acupressure to reduce stress and to lower inflammation.
6. Laugh. Laughter has been shown to reduce stress and lower unhealthy hormone levels. Watch a funny movie or tell jokes with your friends and family.
7. Focus on the Positive. It's too easy to slip into a negative self-image. Turn your internal dialogue into a running commentary on all the reasons you have to be grateful.
8. Stop, challenge, and choose. You remember this tactic from the earlier in this program, right?
9. Breathe deeply. You can't live without breathing, and it is one of the most powerful tools for reducing stress. Try the below exercise.

Optimal Breathing Exercise

Stand quietly with one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Take some slow, deep breaths, paying attention to the movement of your hands. If the hand on your chest is most active and your chest is moving upward, you are a chest breather. Instead, try to focus on abdominal breathing, which is associated with a relaxed state. Prolong your exhalation, so that your exhale lasts twice as long as your inhale, a 1:2 ratio.

In your journal, write down the sources of stress in your life and plan out how you are going to work to reduce the anxiety that they cause. This is important. Your health depends on it.