Thank you to Stacey Harris, Jo Haigh and Sarah Sidey the ‘Nourish’ team for providing this article. For more about them visit their website www.nourishbodyandmind.co.nz

Here is a printable ‘Keep Calm and Breathe’ template that you can use.

KEEP CALM AND JUST BREATHE!

We have entered a unique situation in ‘lockdown’ and now have to adjust to a new normal….

For many it will have created a lot of stress with a dramatic change in routines and financial pressures. When there is a state of emergency or uncertainty it is easy for the brain to go straight to the stress centre of our brain which is our primitive survival response. It is important to realise that stress has emotional, physical and behavioural responses. It can affect our personal wellbeing to the core. From an emotional point of view we become more reactive and more likely to ‘flip our lid’! From a physical point of view we have more muscular tension and often develop disordered breathing: breathe holding or fast,shallow breaths using the upper chest.

There has never been a better time to practice mindfulness which embraces awareness. Mindfulness encourages you to identify feelings and emotions and recognise physical tension within the body. The simplest way to practice mindfulness and communicate to our brain and body that we are safe is to breathe well.

Good breathing is a powerful switch for the nervous system. It takes us out of the ‘Fight and Flight’ mode back to the parasympathetic nervous system which creates calm. Not only will your stress hormones drop but you will be able to think more clearly, sleep better and be a nicer person to be around!

So what is good breathing? Here is a simple guide that you should review daily until calm breathing is set as your default mode. You are breathing into calm.

1. STOP and DROP your shoulders

2. When in DOUBT breathe OUT!

3. Breathe SLOW, LOW & through the NOSE

4. Aim for 10-14 breaths per minute

5. Your tummy should RISE on the breath IN

6. Your tummy should FALL on the breath OUT

Release emotional and physical stress by releasing tension on the outward breath. When you start to feel uptight just take 10 slow breaths, grounding through your feet. Visualise breathing out right to the tips of your toes!

REMEMBER: Good breathing takes practice. Try and think of breathing every time you wash your hands or open a door knob. Try gratitude breathing: think of something you are grateful for over 5 breaths. Fill yourself with gratitude as you expand your lungs and fill yourself with joy for the blessings in your life.

Breathing tips reproduced with kind permission from Bradcliff Physiotherapy Specialists