Many people are unaware of how important breathing exercises for your daily routine are for your well-being. When feeling depressed, stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, breathing can help you regain a sense of relaxation and confidence to get you through the rest of your day.
You won’t need to visit a spa that only leaves you more stressed with how expensive it is, you won’t need any fancy equipment, and won’t need to put forth much effort. Your breathing will do much more for you than give you the breath to live, it will make sure you’re in a peaceful state of mind all throughout.
As we come across different emotions, experiences, and behaviors throughout the day, our breathing will dictate how well we’re able to maintain composure and continue stepping forward. With the 3 breathing exercises explained below, you can start to feel more at peace when faced with stressful situations.
Breathing Exercises For Your Daily Routine
Counting Sheep Exercise
When you’re stuck with a clutter of thoughts before bed that won’t allow you to fall asleep, it could leak into the following morning and cause a hectic start to the day. This only causes more downfall throughout the day and a never-ending downward spiral that you can’t break free of.
A simple breathing exercise can help you clear your mind of these unnecessary thoughts and allow you to fall asleep peacefully. This exercise is best done when lying down with your eyes closed. All you’ll do is breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, then exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. Make sure to count each second, similar to counting sheep.
Not only will this keep your mind busy (with essentially “nothing”), but it will calm your nerves, regulate your heartbeat, and help you finally enter a path to “Zen.”
Flex On ‘Em Exercise
When you find yourself sitting at home watching television, sitting in front of the computer at the office, or on a long commute somewhere, take that time to care for your mental and physical health with a breathing exercise.
This exercise will work best with your eyes closed, so it could be saved for those commercials you hate, regrouping while at work, or sitting on the bus to work. Close your eyes and inhale through your nose for 5 seconds. Hold your breath for 3-5 seconds while flexing your toes. When you begin to exhale through your mouth, untense your toes.
Repeat this time and time again, but flex a different muscle group each time. When your favorite show comes back on, enjoy it until the next time commercials run around. Eventually, you’ll find yourself making this a habit.
Whether you’re stressed about what lies ahead the following day or just bored at home, these two breathing exercises can give you something to do. Better yet, they’ll help you begin to take control of your emotions, behaviors, actions, and most importantly your life.
When you’re ready to try some more advanced techniques, there are hundreds available. You can even come up with your own breathing exercises for your daily routine and share it with the rest of the community.