***Why Diaphragmatic Breathing Should Be Your 1st Step in Eliminating Stress

The other day I was reading an article about stress written by Health Information Publications and I was delighted to see that the medical professionals really do understand the value of diaphragmatic breathing in the elimination of stress. Most of the articles on stress that I have encountered on the internet place little, if any, importance on this simple, healthy technique.

All mammals breathe with the support of their diaphragm. Even you were born breathing in this manner. As you developed, however, you probably reverted to upper chest breathing. This is known as shallow or lazy breathing. The problem with upper chest breathing is that it exacerbates your stress. Therefore, if you already have stress, your shallow means of respiration is making it worse.

99% of the population lifts up their shoulders, sucks in their gut, and throws out their chest when they take a deep breath. We have all done it. That method of taking a breath is not deep breathing. When newborn babies, opera singers, and every other mammal on earth takes a deep breath, what moves is their mid and lower torso regions – not their upper chest or shoulders. Instead of pulling the mid-torso area in, they expand it out.

Why all the fuss about diaphragmatic breathing? Because it is the only means of eliminating those nasty toxins in your blood that produce stress. Shallow or lazy breathing cannot do that. In fact, it has the opposite effect.

Yes, yoga and meditation are positives methods of taking time out to deal with the negative effects stress has on your body, but what if I could suggest a method that required no time out?

I have been breathing in this manner for the last 25 years of my life and it has allowed me to eliminate not just the stress but minor pain as well. This is really an astounding feat if you take into consideration that for 12 of those years, I was a single mom with 2 young boys and the breadwinner of the household. Clients were in my home almost every day of the week; and, I did it without a nanny or a cleaning woman! Were those years stressful? Absolutely, but I breathed with support and was able to successfully eliminate it.

There are many things you should do to cut down on the amount of stress which you face on a daily basis, from prioritizing to setting aside quiet time. If you were to learn to breathe and make it a habit, however, I guarantee much more of the stress in your life would melt away. Life is too short. Stop the stress; take a supported breath; and, start enjoying living!