What Causes Stress and How to Relieve It With Diaphragmatic Breathing
Your Sympathetic Nervous System is activated and you go into what scientists call the 'fight-or-flight response.
' The fight-or-flight response is simply when your body is preparing itself for some sort of event that is threatening to you.
For example, if you were in an intense verbal argument with a stranger, your heart will start to pound and this system in your body will activate in preparation for a fight (or flight).
The fight-or-flight response (again, Sympathetic Nervous System) will activate not only when confronted by physical threat, but by any stressor, or factor with the ability to cause stress, that you experience.
Stress reactivity has been labeled general adaptation syndrome, which is a 3 stage process.
Stage 1, Alarm: Threat is brought to the bodies attention and adrenaline is produced, which brings about the fight-or-flight response.
Stage 2, Resistance: The stressor continues and the stress must be dealt with.
Your bodies resources are used to fight versus the stressor.
Stage 3, Exhaustion: The bodies resources are depleted and the fight-or-flight responses reappear.
Your immune system is compromised during this period.
Remaining in this phase for too long can cause ulcers, depression, diabetes, digestive issues or cardiovascular issues.
So, as you can see, there is only so much your body can handle before it starts to wear down and receive damage, so it's important for YOU to understand methods to de-stress and recover your body.
Let's talk about diaphragmatic breathing today.
If you look at a newborn baby, you'll notice he/she is breathing through his/her stomach and not her chest.
Breathing through your chest (rapid, shallow breathing) is an indicator that your sympathetic nervous system is active and you're under stress.
Society today has stressors EVERYWHERE that teach us to always be stressed and to never relax.
So, take five minutes out of your day, when you're stressed and practice Diaphragmatic Breathing.
Here's how.
' The fight-or-flight response is simply when your body is preparing itself for some sort of event that is threatening to you.
For example, if you were in an intense verbal argument with a stranger, your heart will start to pound and this system in your body will activate in preparation for a fight (or flight).
The fight-or-flight response (again, Sympathetic Nervous System) will activate not only when confronted by physical threat, but by any stressor, or factor with the ability to cause stress, that you experience.
Stress reactivity has been labeled general adaptation syndrome, which is a 3 stage process.
Stage 1, Alarm: Threat is brought to the bodies attention and adrenaline is produced, which brings about the fight-or-flight response.
Stage 2, Resistance: The stressor continues and the stress must be dealt with.
Your bodies resources are used to fight versus the stressor.
Stage 3, Exhaustion: The bodies resources are depleted and the fight-or-flight responses reappear.
Your immune system is compromised during this period.
Remaining in this phase for too long can cause ulcers, depression, diabetes, digestive issues or cardiovascular issues.
So, as you can see, there is only so much your body can handle before it starts to wear down and receive damage, so it's important for YOU to understand methods to de-stress and recover your body.
Let's talk about diaphragmatic breathing today.
If you look at a newborn baby, you'll notice he/she is breathing through his/her stomach and not her chest.
Breathing through your chest (rapid, shallow breathing) is an indicator that your sympathetic nervous system is active and you're under stress.
Society today has stressors EVERYWHERE that teach us to always be stressed and to never relax.
So, take five minutes out of your day, when you're stressed and practice Diaphragmatic Breathing.
Here's how.
- Lie on your back and place a book on your stomach.
Make the book rise with your breathing. - Sit with your right hand on your abdomen and your left hand on your chest and make your right hand rise as you breathe.
- Use a second hand on a clock and inhale for five seconds and exhale for five seconds.
- Repeat a mantra and breathe in synchrony as you say it in your mind.
- Again, do this for five minutes when you're stressed and you'll realize you no longer need your Xanax, you can control your bodies level of stress naturally.
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