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Taking a breather during work is vital for long-term success in the office. It’s inevitable that we’ll all eventually encounter a scenario where a tremendous stressor begins to plague our minds. Tight deadlines and agitating colleagues can contribute a lot to our mental health over time, making it vital to find a way to release the built-up pressure in our minds and bodies.
In fact, we’d argue that managing stress at the workplace is one of the most critical concerns for any employee and employer, as the long-term damage of consistent stress can be hugely detrimental if not adequately dealt with.
So, in today’s blog, we’ll be looking at how breathwork can help us reduce the stresses of the work day and bring calm to an otherwise chaotic mind. Our techniques are easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere while requiring no special equipment, making them ideal for the workplace.
Read on!
How Breathing Reduces Stress
Breathing and breathwork meditation are vital tools for anyone looking to get the most from their workday, especially when stressful situations pile up.
When we’re stressed, our breathing often becomes more shallow and faster as we respond to situations through our fight or flight response. Typically, speedier breathing like this is helpful when facing down a predator or rival in the wild, but this isn’t really the case in an office environment. As a result, our natural responses to stress aren’t especially useful, making it vital to reduce their detrimental effects.
When we breathe in a controlled, even manner, we dictate the oxygen level in our bodies. More oxygen means more energy in our oxidized blood cells, leading to an improved ability to deal with stressors are they arrive and more energy to make the required changes and actions we must complete.
Breathing Techniques for The Office
Deep Breathing
One of the best techniques for the modern workplace is the Deep Breathing practice. This simple exercise is focused on reducing anxiety and slowing down our breathing to a calming, natural rhythm:
- Breathe in through your nose until your belly fills with air
- Breathe out slowly through your nose
- Put one hand on your chest and the other on your belly and breathe in
- The hand on your stomach should rise more than the one on your chest
- Breathe out and feel your belly lower
- Repeat three more times
Focused Breathing
This technique encourages the practitioner to focus on their breathing above all else. This conscious process is vital for stress management as it forces the body and mind to work in unison to overcome a stressful situation:
- Take a few deep breaths to get started
- Imagine you are breathing in calm and goodness
- When you breathe out, imagine you are exhaling your negativity and stress
- Continue for several minutes until feelings of stress have dissipated.
For more information regarding how to manage your breathing for a more effective lifestyle, visit our other blogs here at The Exhale to get the latest tips and tricks. For free guided breathing exercises that you can take anywhere, try out the Breathwrk app here and enjoy a FREE 7-day trial with access to everything we have to offer!
And remember: Breathe Better, Live Better.
Ciao!
