Stress Management: Breathing

Have you ever concentrated on your breathing, while going through the daily mundane chores of life? For most of you, breathing is an unconscious activity that you tend to take for granted. You may have noticed that for a lot of activities and sports you need to concentrate on your breathing. Controlling your breathing is crucial for effective performance. That is why breathing exercises are amongst the most useful and popular relaxation techniques. The more you use this method the more you will begin to appreciate its effectiveness and reap rich rewards from it.

Despite the fact that breathing is one of the most vital functions of your body it is not only a concept that is not well-understood but is also done improperly. It can affect the way you feel, both mentally and physically. Breathing can also affect your emotional and physical feelings. Breathing right can help in reducing anxiety, depression, irritability, muscle tension and fatigue. It can improve your vitality, your thinking and even how your skin looks!

What happens when you breathe incorrectly? Because an insufficient amount of fresh air reaches your lungs, your blood is not properly purified or oxygenated. Products that should have been removed are still in circulation, slowly poisoning your system. Digestion gets hampered. The bodily organs and tissues become undernourished and deteriorate. Poorly oxygenated blood also contributes to the states of anxiety, depression and fatigue, and makes each a stressful situation harder to cope with. Thus proper breathing habits are essential for good mental and physical health.There are basically two kinds of breathing:

Chest breathing: This is characterized by an upward, outward movement of the chest wall. The breath is shallow, jerky and unsteady. It is usually seen when the body is aroused by certain challenging or stressful situations. There is a direct relationship between the mind and breathing. Unless this shallow and jerky breathing is replaced by deep and even abdominal breathing, the body will continue to be in a state of constant arousal and tension.

Abdominal breathing: This is also referred to as diaphragmatic breathing, since it involves the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a sheet of muscle that separates the chest activity from the abdomen. When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and pushes downwards. This relaxes the abdominal muscles.

When you breath out, the diaphragm relaxes and the abdominal muscles contract to expel the impure air. It is the most efficient type of breathing, because it enhances greater expansion and ventilation of the lungs. It also improves circulation. When you are calm and relaxed, you breathe abdominally. Learn to breathe correctly and you will feel a marked difference in your life.