Ask yourself this question, how often do you stop, pause and remain conscious of your breath? My guess is likely not very often. I frequently discuss the importance of focusing on self-care and our overall wellness. Our breath is one of our greatest tools that we can readily access to reduce our stress and anxiety. One thing we knew before the pandemic and have been hyper-aware of during the pandemic was that our world was stressed, and now the results are even more heart-stopping - literally. Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the US, affecting over 40 million adults according to the ADAA, that’s about 19% of our population.
Moreover, women are more susceptible to stress than men. This stress or emotional baggage manifests in our nervous system, showing itself physically when we prolong addressing the symptoms we think are from other root causes. As we shift our attention into the holiday season, I invite us to also turn our attention to our breath as a free accessible tool to shift our mental state immediately. As you know, I am a big believer in opportunities. They are all around us if we stay curious and listen. I’ve compiled a few of my favorite Opportunity Knocks podcasts that focuses specifically on breath and stress reduction as a resource for you!
The beautiful part about our breath is not only is it always available to us, but with such little effort, we can make a significant shift in changing our bodies physiologically. We know that focusing on our breath for as little as 16 seconds can shift our brains. That is three deep breaths in and out. Easy Peasy. When stressed, we tend to hold our breath and aren’t even conscious of it.
Once we become more aware of our breath, we start to focus on our self-care, which I discuss in our blog post Self Care = Self Love = Self Confidence.
In addition we want to make an effort to tap into and combat our energy blockers. This will help us excel in leadership and reach our goals according to Sarah Deane The Best Leaders Have a Contagious Positive Energy: from MEvolution.
Stress creeps into our lives easily, given our jobs, remote working (pros and cons), and increased cost in daily living expenses such as bills and kids. We tend to push down these types of stressors, but what if we decided to breathe out consciously? There are so many different modalities available to us, whether it be yoga, meditation, sound healing, breathwork, or an assessment tool to measure your energetic blockers.
These transformational tools are instrumental in stress reduction from -
Breathwork - Kurtis Lee Thomas’ Breathwork Detox program - with as little as 7 minutes, experience immediate results and stress relief
Sound baths - Susy Markoe Schieffelin, Founder of the Copper Vessel and The Sound Healers Academy - guide your mind into a deep state of relaxation and bask in the energetic vibration of sound waves
Yoga and Meditation - Shayna Hiller, Certified Yoga and Meditation teacher - experience deep peace through combined efforts of breath to movement. Focus on the present moment and being in your body vs. mind
Energetic Blockers - The Energy Effect is the Secret to Igniting Extraordinary Performance: - Sarah Deane, Founder of MEvolution, a scientific assessment, workshops, and coaching measuring your energetic blockers. Now that you have developed some stress relief habits and structure let’s present a way to create life-lasting change by addressing your energetic blockers—the key to achieving your life-long goals. Contact me via the link to calendly to administer your MEvolution assessment!
Many of these tools take some time to grow accustomed to but remember, it's not about being perfect or the right or wrong way; it's about getting started. Left unchecked, stress will affect your health, body, mind, and immune system. It can cause chronic inflammation in the body, which results in disease, all of the techniques listed above are proven to support our efforts.
Stress has long been a hot-button topic dating back to the 1980s when Time Magazine called it The Epidemic of the Eighties and the leading health problem. We know that it has only increased in catastrophic measures since the pandemic across the world. In a more recent study, Harvard identified some specific areas to help with stress management which includes relaxation, physical activity, and social support. Connection is core to human existence, and those with a social or business community are ten times more likely to succeed. This is why I started the MembHership so women can join together toward their collective dreams and goals.
Close your eyes and imagine the life you want to create. Is it stress-free? Is that even possible for you? What we realize is, If we commit to ourselves and the process, any seemingly impossible or intangible process is readily available if we merely slow down, take pause and access our free gift. Just Breathe. Be well. Do well. All my best,
P.S. Looking to create change or transform your life? Learn how one-on-one coaching can help you today! Check out our website for a full list of benefits.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Don't miss out on the Opportunity Knocks Podcast!
Listen to E69: Kurtis Lee Thomas - Corporate Mindfulness Trainer, Best-Selling Author, & Founder of Breathwork Detox™
Check out our most recent podcasts:
Michelle Wolf, Founder of EmpowHer Purpose
Pamela Salzman - Natural Foods Cooking Instructor, Holistic Health Counselor, & Author
Mara Smith, Founder of Inspiro Tequila
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