Ever had someone say to you: “Just take a few deep breaths”?
If you are experiencing stress, anxiety, anger, or other heightened emotions, you probably aren’t breathing that effectively. But trying to take a deep breath in when you are in this state can be pretty difficult, and may even make things worse.
Here’s what you can do instead.
Was this useful? Take a deep breath (out!) and let us know in the comments below.
How do you take a break? Every year, I block off retreat and study time. This annual time is an opportunity for me to step back from my everyday ‘To Do’ list, unplug, and reconnect with the essence of why I do what I do. Retreat time is essential to me. But taking time out is important every day. Because… Read more
What do you bring to your relationships? What is your “stuff”? The one thing I’ve learned – and continue to relearn, over and over again! – is that relationships show us to ourselves. Maybe our own diverse experiences from our families of origin explain why we all understand love differently. What does love look like? How do you know if someone… Read more
I was 7 years old. The school play that year was going to be The Wizard of Oz and I knew in my bones that I was meant to be Dorothy. For weeks, my parents listened to me preparing for the audition. I bet they wished that I was somewhere over a rainbow. The day… Read more
What do you think about what Anais Nin has to say about transformation and letting go? At first, I thought it was great but then, as I sat with it, I realised that I don’t quite agree. Let me explain. We all know what it feels like when something feels less than marvellous. Forced, perhaps.… Read more
Are you disconnected from what is true for you? And how do you know? Feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious can be signs that your heart just isn’t in something, but you are doing it anyway. Tension is also created internally when the conscious mind is in conflict with subconscious beliefs. When you are out of alignment with what is… Read more
This is not a post about new year’s resolutions, mostly because I’ve never been able to stick to anything I called a new year’s resolution. I’ve learned that I need a combination of strategy + support to develop new habits and create lasting transformation. A key part of my process is my year-end review / year-to-come… Read more
Some years ago, I found this short compassion exercise typed up on a card at a local cafe. It is designed to increase compassion for ourselves as well as other people. When you find yourself in conflict with someone, simply hold them in your awareness and repeat to yourself: 1) Just like me, this person… Read more