I used to think I didn’t have time for slowing down. As an ambitious, type-A doer, deep breathing always sounded like something you do on a weekend yoga retreat in the woods.
I had places to be, things to do and dreams to create. And apparently, I needed to hurry to get there.
Sound familiar?
If you feel that slowing down to take a few deep breaths is going to “slow down your progress,” you’re mistaken.
Calming your mind, body and soul through breathing deeply will actually help make you more productive, creative and stress free.
It’s been proven that short periods of meditation, using breathing as a focus, can alter the body’s stress response.
In fact, this is one of fastest and most economical ways to influence your health + well being.
For many of us, relaxing means binge watching 8 episodes of The Walking Dead, and although it may help you zone out like a zombie, it’s not helping your stress level.
Instead, you need to activate the body’s relaxation response. This is your body’s natural physical + emotional response to stress.
So when you keep going, going, going and doing, doing, doing and you’re eating in the car while talking on the phone, and you realize you haven’t taken a real deep breath all day, it takes a toll on your body + your mind.
And “relaxing” is not about lying on the couch with a bag of chips or even taking a nap, (which I’m all for both when you need it), but to engage the body in deep relaxation, deep breathing is a mentally active activity.
Try it now, for 30 seconds:
- Inhale through the nose for 4 counts allowing your abdomen to expand.
- Hold the breath for 2.counts.
- Exhale through the mouth for 6 counts.
Do that three times in a row.
Feeling more relaxed? I hope so.
So, this week, instead of rushing around or checking your phone every time you have a free second, try taking mindful moments to breathe deeply throughout your day and notice how you become more productive, more creative and stress free.
Leave a comment below + let me know what you do to become more productive, creative + stress free. I love hearing + learning from you.
Love + Gratitude,
Wendy
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1 thought on “How To Be More Productive, Creative + Stress Free”
Hi Wendy, I totoally agree with you, deep breathing and relaxing your body are incredibly useful when dealing with stress. I do a relaxation exercise every morning and it helps me throughout the day,