Am I the only person wondering if the world has somehow slipped its axis and is starting to spin out of control? The pandemic, increasing political polarization, heartbreaking gun violence, stifling heat, devastating wildfires. Need I say more?
I have one word of advice for dealing with stress (and distress) of any kind—BREATHE.
Focused breathing in a relaxed, mindful way is something we can do anytime, anywhere. It requires nothing more than bringing awareness to your next inhalation. And when you’re thinking only about inhaling and exhaling, you can’t think about anything else.
Breathing is so vital, our bodies do it automagically
Because oxygen is a basic element of life and one of the body’s top priorities, breathing happens without thought or effort. The part of the brain that governs both lungs and heart—the medulla oblongata—works constantly to control the respiratory process. That’s why even when we’re sleeping, the muscles responsible for inhaling and exhaling continue on without us.
If you doubt the importance of breath, consider the ‘Rule of Threes’ coined by survival experts to establish priorities for staying alive if you find yourself stranded in the wilderness or otherwise in dire straits.
The rule of threes for survival
Human beings can survive about:
Your results may vary, but not by much, and for most of us, the variance would not be in our favor.
Think about it: If somebody took away a meal just as you were about to dig in, a glass of water you were about to drink, your jacket as you stepped outside on a cool day, you would be angry and annoyed but you would not die within a matter of minutes. Now imagine if somebody put a bag over your head. Just thinking about that as I write it makes me anxious.
The benefits of conscious breathing
Our lungs inhale and exhale with or without our help, yet we can also exert control over this automatic process and use the life-sustaining action of breathing to our advantage. Any time we need to relax, cool our temper, think before speaking, concentrate, or deal with bad news, all we need to do is take a few long, slow breaths.
Breathing in a controlled manner activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which inhibits the body from overworking. It’s sometimes called the “rest and digest” state. It’s the antidote to the “fight or flight” response we have when we feel threatened in any way, a response initiated by the sympathetic nervous system.
Bringing full awareness to your breathing brings many benefits:
The next time you find yourself ruminating over bad news feeling stressed about life, or dealing with the challenges of a cancer diagnosis or treatment, just take a few minutes to breathe. Breathe from the diaphragm, not in an exaggerated way that could cause hyperventilation, but fully expanding your belly and emptying your lungs completely. And then reorient your thoughts:
- What’s the next, best step I can take?
- Who or what resources can help me?
- How can I find comfort and relief?
Tactics for mindful breathing
Stop if you if you start to feel dizzy or light-headed. Counting is important—do it out loud if it’s appropriate—because it diverts attention away from the internal chatter and negative thinking.
When you’re ready to let your medulla oblongata resume control of your lungs again, you will then be calmer and more relaxed.
Mindful breathing will not solve problems, but it will give you some space and buy you some time. It’s a magic elixir that keeps the body from going into full fight or flight mod. One mindful breath gives some time to consider the next best words and actions. One mindful breath can protect you from ‘open mouth, insert foot’ syndrome—and since words spoken can never be retrieved, a few extra seconds of mindful breathing is time well-invested.
Just breathe for better physical health
The year I was diagnosed with mbc, I had a pleural effusion—a buildup of fluid in the pleural sac of my right lung. It opened my eyes to the scary feeling of breathlessness. At one point it initiated a coughing attack that was so severe, I thought it would be my demise. It didn’t help that I was already oxygen-deprived at an elevation of 9600’ in Breckenridge, Colorado, or that I was with several people in the middle of a busy bar/restaurant when it happened.
I excused myself to go to the ladies’ room to try and recover, only to find myself in an empty restroom, realizing I could collapse on the floor and maybe not discovered until a random tourist came in or one of my friends finally noticed I’d been gone for awhile. But I knew I needed to relax, and as difficult as breathing was in that moment, I did my best to focus on inhaling and exhaling, and I recovered.
The Wim Hof Method for more healthy breathing
Now I try to incorporate conscious breathing regularly into my life. I learned about the Wim Hof Method, which includes forcefully inhaling and exhaling about 30 times in succession. It causes a kind of hyperventilation (perhaps don’t do it alone) that supposedly raises blood-cell oxygen levels to the maximum amount. Since I live in Colorado, my blood cells are in perpetual need of oxygen anyway, so the concept caught my eye.
The process is completed with a long exhale that you hold, which pushes the oxygen levels back down. The whole method, combined with sustained exposure to cold air or water, is supposed to change your chemistry to suppress inflammation and deliver other healthful effects. You can read more about it in on the Wim Hof website.
Taking a few seconds to focus on breathing is always available and always effective when you need distance from things that don’t matter or to better prepare for things that do.
It’s during a crisis that a mindful approach to breathing can bring instant relief, but it’s also a tool for daily management of any little thing and taking a Stage 4 approach life.
Just breathe.