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In my last BLOG and newsletter on EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT, I mentioned how important breathing is in dealing with those pesky “butterflies” that wreak havoc in some people’s stomachs when they are anxious. So I want to devote this BLOG and newsletter to explaining why we should all be focusing on and practising this skill.
Hopefully some of you recall my previous BLOG and Newsletter on Nerves, which outlined the body’s way of reacting when in a challenging situation, called the FIGHT, FLIGHT or FREEZE response. When this occurs, your breathing becomes shallow and you tend to over-breathe, that is you breathe out too much carbon dioxide very quickly and so your system becomes unsettled (blood vessels constrict, less oxygen goes to your muscles) and other uncomfortable symptoms arise (e.g. dizziness, blurred vision, muscle tension), all of which don’t do any good for your performance.
However, when you breathe deeply and slowly you automatically turn on the body's natural relaxation response and switch off excess adrenalin production so you feel calm and settled because you are normalizing the body’s oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. So the key is to...
...breathe less, that’s right, breathe less...
...because you are, effectively, breathing in too much oxygen which makes you feel agitated and jumpy, and breathing out too much carbon dioxide. So by gradually slowing your breathing down you build up your reserves of carbon dioxide once again, and carbon dioxide is our natural tranquilliser.
When working with clients, I like to start our breathing work by doing a little exercise to see if they are a shallow, over-breather or a slow, deep breather. Try this for yourself…
To view the rest of this article and obtain more practical advice, click on the RESOURCES page and purchase the related NEWSLETTER.