Welcome to Sunday Morning Life Hacks. NOTE: this article was previously posted on our site and is updated and shared only with Digest subscribers.
The Problem: your stress mounts throughout the day, until you feel like you may explode.
Medical doctors define stress as a biological response to a potentially dangerous situation. According to Healthline, "your brain floods your body with chemicals and hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. That gets your heart beating faster and sends blood to muscles and important organs. You feel energized and have heightened awareness so you can focus on your immediate needs."
Too often, though, we ignore these signals. As stress goes unchecked, increased frequency of these adrenaline surges can lead to major health issues: headaches, anxiety, high blood pressure, and other major--often life threatening--afflictions.
The Hack: STOP, BREATHE, FOCUS for just 90 seconds.
Short-term, elevated stress is one serious ailment that can be easily hacked. As noted in The Problem section, stress pumps your adrenaline and gets your heart racing. This will impact your breathing and can make you feel queasy. You need to act quickly, and here are 3 super easy, quick steps to take: Stop, Breathe, Focus. Sounds easy enough, right? It is.
What You Can Do Tomorrow
- STOP: Whether at work, home, or even at play, stop everything (you only need about 90 seconds). Stop all movement and find a place to sit.
- BREATHE: Remember, your body naturally wants to breathe, making this easy. In this case, we want to slow the breathing, and the best method is belly breathing. Breathe in slowly and deeply from the diaphragm in through your nose, filling your chest with air, and pause for a 2-count. Try to keep your mouth closed, as you slowly exhale, as if sending your breath into your whole body. Pause for another 2-count, before your next inhale.
- FOCUS YOUR MIND: Focus on your breath or on nothing at all. Thinking of nothing is challenging. It can be helpful to count your breaths. As you inhale, say to yourself, "Inhale, one." As you release the air in your lungs, say, "Exhale, one." Then repeat, saying, "Inhale, two... Exhale, two." Push all other thoughts away.
- Repeat these steps five times (about 90 seconds), and your stress level will decrease.
Building Momentum
Knocking out your elevated stress in 90 seconds is awesome. Now, how do you turn this powerful 3-step strategy into something you do daily? How do you make it a habit?
Step 1: Start your day with Stop, Breathe, Focus. Wake up to your normal morning routine (pee, wash your face, etc.). Now, before you do anything else, take at least 90 seconds to Stop, Breathe, and Focus. This helps you de-stress, before you become stressed.
Step 2: Be intentional about implementing the strategy throughout your day. Carve out a time every few hours for just 90 seconds of Stop, Breathe, Focus. After a week or two, it will become second nature. Not only will you KO stressful moments, you'll start to experience less stress, as your body remains in a state of ease.
Step 3: Consider using a wearable fitness device (think Fitbit or Oura). Wearable tech continues to evolve, and many of the devices now include breathing and meditation features, which guide you through the practice. Some offer mobile app alerts that allow you to set times throughout the day to remind you to pause and breathe.
Try this 90-second deep breathing Hack today. Before long, deep breathing and mindfulness will become invaluable parts of your daily life.
Removing Obstacles
We are programmed to question new strategies, especially simple ones. Here are some questions we often encounter and how to cope with them.
What if I don't recognize my stress? Some kinds of stress build slowly over time and can be tough to identify. When you feel frustrated, angry, or overwhelmed, some kind of stress is typically to blame. Try this 90-second Hack; if you feel relief, you were likely facing stress.
What if I don't have time to spare? We're talking about 90 seconds. Remember, this is your health we're talking about. If you're in the middle of an activity, you absolutely can't stop doing, try skipping step 1 and just work on the breathing part (step 2).
What if I've tried meditation and failed? While this can certainly be called meditation or mindfulness, it's more about slowing your heart rate and calming your body. Consider thinking of this Hack less as meditation and more as belly or diaphragmatic breathing.
Final Word
Deep breathing and mindfulness are relatively unknown strategies for calming the body and the mind. Additionally, they are proven ways to reduce elevated stress, which can ultimately save your life. Try this 90-second deep breathing Hack today. Before long, deep breathing and mindfulness will become invaluable parts of your daily life.
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