Let’s be honest—life is anything but easy, and those who suffer from anxiety feel the challenges twice as hard. After nearly two years of ups and downs as a society, we’re all going through a lot and the answers on pushing through it don’t always lie in front of us. But what if we told you that one simple trick can help manage the symptoms of ‘feeling off’ throughout the day? Well, we do, and it’s something you can do every hour and make part of your daily routine.
It all lies in the power of your breathing. Think about it, how many times a day do you sit down and actually allow yourself to take a breath? Not many, probably. With fast-paced living it’s grown more common to not give yourself a break, but at what point does it become too much? You deserve to take a few minutes to yourself every hour, hit pause, and take a breath.
Our go-to hourly breathing exercise:
- Step 1: Breathe in through your nose for four seconds
- Step 2: Hold your breath at the top for four seconds
- Step 3: Exhale through your mouth for four seconds
- Step 4: Repeat the process three more times (or as many as you feel necessary)
If you do this every hour you’ll feel grounded, have less tension throughout your body, and be more focused. Whether you’re having a stressful day or not, this will help you tackle those feelings of anxiety in the long run.
For those of you who need some accountability, consider downloading an app on your smartphone with built-in breathing exercises that are short and straight to the point. Breethe, Calm, and Headspace are all great places to start and practice a variety of techniques if you need more than the above. If you have an Apple Watch, set up the Breathe function for a reminder every hour and do the provided exercise along with your watch. And if you feel confident in practicing your own breathing exercises, it doesn’t hurt to set up an hourly reminder on your smartphone or calendar to make sure you get them done.
Have a grounding technique you’d like to share with us? DM us on Instagram to let our team know!