Use This GIF to Breathe Better
In her newsletter, My Sweet Dumb Brain, Katie Hawkins-Gaar writes about the importance of time to breathe . Not unconscious breathing that you do to stay alive, but thoughtful, slow breathing that helps you stay grounded and feel your place in the world.
“When was the last time you paid attention to your breathing? Take a few precious minutes right now to focus on your breathing, ”writes Hawkins-Gaar. “Breathe in through your nose, pause, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repetition.”
She then offers to practice with this GIF if you find you are in trouble.
Look at it. Inhale, exhale. I have already calmed down.
If it seems to you that all this is too much, that’s okay. It worked for me at first too. But deep breathing and practicing breathing techniques can help reduce stress, according to Harvard Medical School .
First, you need to make sure you are doing everything right. Harvard Medical School says that “when you breathe deeply, the air entering through your nose fills your lungs completely and your lower abdomen rises up.”
This may seem unnatural at first, but it is useful for several reasons. “Deep abdominal breathing promotes adequate oxygen exchange, which is a beneficial exchange of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide,” writes Harvard Health . “Unsurprisingly, it can slow your heart rate and lower or stabilize your blood pressure.”
Here’s how Harvard Health recommends it:
First steps. Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit or lie down. Take a normal breath first. Then try taking a deep breath: inhale slowly through your nose, letting your chest and lower abdomen rise as you fill your lungs. Allow your belly to expand fully. Now exhale slowly through your mouth (or nose if it feels more natural).
Concentrating the breath in practice. After completing the steps above, you can move on to regular practice of controlled breathing. Sitting comfortably with your eyes closed, combine deep breathing with helpful imagery and perhaps a keyword or phrase to help you relax.
When you focus on your breathing, you are not focusing on other stressful or negative stimuli. For her part, Hawkins-Gaar said it helped her cope with a stressful trip abroad.
“I am grateful that I was able to make this trip and for all the anxiety and excitement that brought me here,” she writes. “These moments reminded me to breathe, which in turn allowed me to remain balanced and present.”