Stress and anxiety can quickly escalate and send you spiraling off course. But there’s a simple technique you can do in two minutes that will reduce stress, anxiety, and improve your overall health. Learn this technique and a couple of tips that will make it more effective so you’re able to stay on course and achieve your goals.
Transcript:
Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart and a vision strategist. I wanted to talk about a natural way to reduce stress and anxiety that takes about two minutes to begin working. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I can attest that it does work.
Recently, I was scheduled for a medical appointment immediately after my regular checkup with my primary provider, making it a two-fer. But the later one had to be coordinated between two offices and there was some confusion between them. The morning of the appointments, I called to see if the confusion had been cleared up. It hadn’t. Great, huh?
After another couple of more calls, it still wasn’t handled. As you can imagine, I was getting more tense and anxious the closer the time came for me to leave, and still no resolution. My blood pressure and heartrate were soaring, just what you want before a checkup, right?
Finally, I made a call a few minutes before I was to leave for my regular medical checkup, planning on rescheduling the second appointment, but I discovered that it had finally be straightened out.. Whew! Except, I was sure my blood pressure was going to be through the roof when I saw my primary provider in about half an hour.
To lower my stress, my blood pressure and my heart rate, I sat and took long, slow, deep breaths for a couple of minutes. That’s about all the time I had before I had to leave. At my regular appointment, my blood pressure was within a couple of points of my normal. It was such a relief!
When you take long, slow, deep breaths, it releases chemicals that reverses the stress response, and it only takes a couple of minutes for it to happen. When I say deep breath, I don’t mean [raise shoulders and breathe]. That will actually increase the feelings of stress and anxiety.
Instead, breathe from your belly. Push your belly out as you breathe in. Then pull it in to force the air out. If you haven’t done this before, it feels counterintuitive and awkward. But it’s the way you breathe when you’re sleeping.
To best activate this relaxation response, breathe in to the count of 4, and breathe out to the count of 8. Just do that cycle 10 times, and you’ll start noticing you’re feeling calmer. It’s a physiological reaction.
To make it even more effective, breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth, as if you’re gently blowing out candles. It’s called “pursed lip” breathing and more efficiently empties the lungs. This allows more space for oxygen to enter when you inhale.
This breathing technique will allow you to think more clearly, to communicate better and make better decisions, improve your memory and immune system, reduce inflammation and symptoms of depression, in addition to easing stress and anxiety. It’s better than any pill. Just a minute of it will begin to ease performance anxiety.
I know it seems too easy, but try it. If you’re especially uptight, do the cycle, inhale 4, exhale 8, 25 times, which would be about 5 minutes. I know it works from my personal life, because this recent issue isn’t the only time I’ve used it. And I’ve also taught it to my clients, and it’s helped them stay on course to their goals.
If you’d like some help in getting on course and programming your business for success, apply for a Complimentary Coaching Consultation.
Thank you for watching. You have the ability to take charge of your stress and anxiety and have a more harmonious life. I hope you practice this technique for your health and well being. Take care.
Read the accompanying article, How to Stay On Course with Your Priorities.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
