To begin working with your breath, simply count how many counts it takes you to inhale and how many to exhale. Then try to slow it down by 1-2 counts. Progressively work your way to slower and slower pace, ideally seeing if you can get to around a 5 second inhale and a 5 second exhale.
Work gradually towards this if you are used to breathing very rapidly as trying to slow down too quickly can actually make your more anxious and strain your nervous system.
2| Learn to practice mindfulness.
To start to work with mindfulness on your own, begin by just noticing your thoughts. If you notice that you continually repeat thoughts like “I’m not good enough,” first just observe that tendency. After you notice it, perhaps become curious about why you are critical of yourself or work with repeating a mantra like “I am perfect just the way I am” to replace the thought.
You can also work with mindfulness by observing the sensations you feel in your body. Do you feel tightness in your chest? A heaviness in the pit of your stomach? Simply observe the sensations and then become curious about what they are trying to tell you. The body communicates to us in sensation as often as we notice the sensation and become curious about its meaning, it can release.
So there are 2 of my favorite ways to start to release stress. I hope you will give them a try and see what you experience!
