Anxiety is contagious. The daily demands are heavy, and often leave us breathless.
I have a friend whom I touch base with daily. Both of us are prone to anxiety due to traumatic, abusive backgrounds. We seem to go through similar challenges and difficulties at the same time.
We pray for one another. We support and encourage each other. Though separated by hundreds of miles, we do life together.
When one of us is struggling, the other one inevitably responds, “Breathe.”
I sometimes forget to breathe.
I get swept along by what I think needs to be done and when. I push, driven by a mental list that I never seem to be completely free from. Spiritually and emotionally, I’m hyperventilating.
Then comes the text, the email, or the voice message – “Breathe.”
When we’re grieving, we can forget to breathe. Without knowing it, we’re holding our breath at times.
Take a moment. Breathe in deeply through your nose. Hold it for just a second or two. Now breathe out through your mouth.
Do that again.
Keep going. Breathe deeply for about a minute.
Deep breathing like this (in through your nose and out through your mouth) activates your parasympathetic nervous system and sends a calming message to your grief-taxed brain.
Try making this a habit. Practice deep breathing twice a day – perhaps once in the morning and once in the evening.
The more you practice, the more of a habit deep breathing will become – and the more likely you are to breathe deeply when you need it the most (when you’re stressed, anxious, sad, angry, etc.).
Breathe, my friend. Breathe.
