Today's mental fitness exercise is a must-have for a lot of people who are experiencing those stressful moments,
Maybe possibly getting an anxiety attack.
This mental fitness exercise is a quick stress and anxiety buster.
So we've all been there,
Stressed from how the morning maybe got started.
You might be running late or are late,
Possibly delayed in a project at work or even a personal goal.
Even feeling unproductive,
Just feeling a little lost with it all.
That's okay.
Totally okay in fact.
These are all recognizable signs of stress and anxiety.
So the first thing we have to do is reduce that stress so you can become better focused and calm your energy.
This is important for the next steps in stress management but we're only gonna focus today right now on reducing that stressful moment you're in right now.
So wherever you are,
Whatever is prudent,
Either lay it down on your back with your palms facing upward or sitting up straight,
Spine erect but relaxed.
Now we've shifted our focus to our position or posture and the next focus is going to be on our breath.
So now I want you to take a nice deep inhale through your nose,
Filling only your belly with the air.
Try not to let your chest expand,
Only the belly.
And at the height of your inhale,
I want you to stop and hold your breath for one to two seconds and then exhale.
As you exhale,
I want you to focus on exasperating all the air out of your belly but at a gentle pace.
Exhale should always be longer than your inhale by a few seconds.
So again,
Inhale into the belly.
Stop,
Hold it for one to two seconds and exhale nice and slow,
Letting all the air out of the belly.
I'm gonna be with you for one more breath but you will all continue.
Nice deep inhale through the belly.
Stop and hold.
And exhale nice and slow.
Controlled.
Mindful of the air leaving your belly.
Focus on this practice three more times.
Focus purely on how you're feeling as you inhale,
How you inhale through your belly to how you feel as you exhale,
Pushing all the air out.
I'm gonna remain quiet enough for you to practice the next three breaths on your own.
As you finish your three breaths,
I want to ask you if you were able to focus purely on those three breaths without any distraction.
Or did distraction enter?
Here there's no right or wrong answer.
It's merely an honest self-check to see how well you're able to focus while under stress.
We did this exercise supposedly if you were under stress.
So it's just to see your focus.
See if you were able to focus on those three breaths.
If you did,
Congratulations.
You are very good at managing your thoughts.
That ain't easy.
If you weren't able to focus on those three breaths,
Congratulations.
You are human.
Most people who try this for the first time without any prior practice and mindfulness or meditation,
They're usually prone to letting the distraction interfere with their thought process.
This is why mental fitness exercises are just as important as going to the physical fitness gym and working our legs one day and our arms the next.
We need to work our minds with mental fitness exercises to be as strong mentally just as we are physically.
That balance.
So as I conclude and you resume your normal breathing pattern,
I want you to be conscious throughout the day about the length of your breaths.
Okay?
When a person is under stress,
Their breathing pattern changes.
Typically,
An anxious person takes small,
Shallow breaths using their shoulders rather than their diaphragm,
Their belly,
To move the air in and out of their lungs.
So maybe set an alarm in your phone to remind you to do a breath check twice a day.
That's a possibility that you can do.
And just see as that alarm goes off,
How are you breathing at that very moment?
You have nice long inhales and exhalations,
Controlled breath.
Or is it short and choppy?
And if it's short and choppy,
We know that we're under some stress.
So we need to take that stress and anxiety buster and get our focus back and get under control.
So to conclude,
Controlling your breath is a great way to reduce your stress and anxiety.
And this is just one example of my stress and anxiety buster toolkit,
If you will.
So I hope to bring more of this to you very soon.
Until then,
Be conscious of your time,
Life,
And self.
