Taking a deep breath can make you more anxious and stressed

Taking a deep breath can make you more anxious and stressed

Balanced LifeEmotional EatingHealthy Lifestyle

free training to stop emotinal eating and stress eating

 

Taking a deep breath to calm down may not work for you and it can make you more anxious and stressed. When it comes to breathing and anxiety, slow and steady wins the race. By focusing on extending your exhale and practising diaphragmatic breathing, you can promote feelings of relaxation and reduce stress in your body and mind.

 

“Taking a deep breath” to calm down is NOT what you need

As a busy, high-performing person, you often find yourself constantly on the go, with a never-ending to-do list and high expectations to meet. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm, stress, and anxiety.

To cope with these overwhelming feelings, many people turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as overeating, binge eating, or drinking. You may find yourself reaching for sugary snacks or junk food to help you cope with your emotions or turning to alcohol to unwind after a long day.

Unfortunately, these coping mechanisms only provide temporary relief and can lead to long-term health consequences.

One of the most common pieces of advice given to help calm anxiety and reduce stress is to “take a deep breath.” However, I recently learned that quickly taking a deep breath can actually worsen the symptoms of anxiety by upsetting the delicate balance of gases in our bodies.

Taking a deep breath to calm down doesn't work

stress relief gift ideas for overwhelmed people

43 stress relief gift ideas for overwhelmed people

Balanced LifeEmotional Eating

stop eating your feelings workbook free chapter

 

Are you looking for a Christmas present for a stressed-out loved one or for yourself? You are at the right place. Check out my list of 43 stress relief gift ideas for overwhelmed people. I’m sure you will find something that you like. Happy browsing 🙂

 

43 stress relief gift ideas for overwhelmed people
43 stress relief gift ideas for overwhelmed people

Supplements for Stress Relief

Relax + Restore: Stress Relief tincture, stress relief gift ideas for overwhelmed people

 

Relax + Restore: Stress Relief This formulation of organically grown botanicals was created to provide immediate relief from stress.

B-UnStressed™ Helps to ward off fatigue & promote immune health with a soothing herbal blend including organic ashwagandha, organic chamomile flower and organic astragalus root, and with vitamins and minerals.

Adrenal Strength® Promotes healthy stress response and wards off fatigue.

Magnesium: Helps maintain nerve and muscle function.

Dream Release™ is designed to promote deep, restorative sleep containing Valerian, California poppy, Magnesium and ashwagandha.

Melatonin Berry Good Sleep™ Gummy  is a yummy gummy to support healthy sleep cycles.

CBD oil helps users focus when fidgety and wind down at the end of a stressful day. It also helps with anxiety and works to relieve pain too.

Related post  What to do when you are overwhelmed by negative emotions

 

this can make you happier, more focused and energetic, meditation

This can make you happier, more focused & energetic in just a few minutes a day

Balanced Life

free training to stop emotinal eating and stress eating

So what can make you happier, more focused and energetic in just a few minutes a day?

You can do it in your bed before you get up in the morning or before going to sleep at night. You can do it while having a relaxing soak in a nice hot bath. You can do it on an aeroplane to help pass the time on a long journey. In fact, you can do it wherever you are, at any time of the day, as long as you have the time and the inclination to do so.

in just 12 minutes a day become happier, more focused and more energetic #meditation #happiness #focus

You probably guessed it by now. Yes, it’s meditation.

Do you know someone who meditates? Probably you do as more and more people take on the practice of meditation. For some of them, it’s a daily practice, while for others it’s just for emergency situations. What are some of those emergency situations? It’s those moments when you feel like your life is spinning out of control. It’s for times when you can’t seem to get out of your own way.

It was also an “emergency situation” when I first turned to meditation. I was extremely stressed and overwhelmed trying to juggle work commitments and motherhood, up to the point when I started to have panic attacks out of nowhere. I was desperately trying to find a solution to relieve stress.

As working less, walking in nature, self-care and other recommended approaches were not feasible at that moment, I figured I could meditate for a few minutes every night before I fall asleep and see how it goes. And it worked, I felt fresher, happier, more focused, and more energetic than usual. I was able to deal with stressful situations much better. Then it became an almost daily practice.

If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.

– Amit Ray