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.
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