Just Breath… The fight against stress 

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.  Face it, your life is crazy.  There is always something to be done or someone to see.  Sleep, downtime, relaxation is pushed aside for the “more important” things in life.  Time is your most important asset because you can never get it back.  With limited time comes an onslaught of stress.  Everyone has felt stress.  Sometimes it is easy to pinpoint the culprit while other times it seems impossible. 

Stress can be sorted in to two different categories. Acute stress is easy to identify and is noticeable right away.  It stems from short term events like a speech, exam, or interview.  Butterflies and jitters overtake your body because of the adrenaline coursing through your veins. Next, we have chronic stress.  Chronic stress is difficult to identify and stop.  It occurs over a long period of time and can be attributed to many different things. Uncertainty can be a key component in a prolonged stress.  Not only does chronic stress slow your brain down but it can physically harm your body.  Metabolism may change, immune system weakens, and cortisol is released.

There is a simple way that stress comes to fruition and how it impairs your performance. Below, you can see the course that leads to subpar functioning 

Task Demand > Decline in Directed Attention > Impaired Performance > Stress Response

Stressor > Stress Response > Decline in Directed Attention > Impaired Performance 

Although stress seems and feels bad.  It has been built over time as an adaptive improvement.  Acute stress brought on the idea of fight or flight.  This can be advantageous in that it forces us to act.  Chronic stress was originally developed as a function to deal with long term famine.  Our metabolism shift allows us to store more fat.

How do we counteract both long term and short term stress?

Breath.  It seems so simple because we are always doing it.  In order to truly breath, one must focus completely on breathing.  Find an adequate environment for you. It could be outdoors, in your car, or even on your couch.  Next comes the easy part, focusing on your breath.  Really focus on it.  Taking the time to take a few long breaths can drastically change your stress levels both physically and mentally.  Try it, next time you are feeling overwhelmed attempt to slow the situation down and breath.  Just breath. Inhale.  Exhale.