Holidays are just around the corner!
You have a few different stress relief tools available to you during the holidays.
Not recommended:
- drink yourself to oblivion
- hide in the basement
- run to the store 10-15 times a day
- eat voraciously until passing out
- watch TV till your eyes bleed
Before trying these tactics, try this one first!
It’s called the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise, and it’s so incredibly simple.
You can slip away and take advantage of this simple technique anytime. The body position isn’t that important here, but you’ll get more out of it if you’re able to sit relaxed with your back straight and head slightly forward. Best to slide into a quite place where you can focus for a minute.
- Put the tip of our tongue against the back of your upper front teeth. You’ll be exhaling out of your mouth and around the tongue.
- Inhale through the nose and try to fill your lungs in four seconds (mental four count)
- Hold that breath for seven seconds
- Exhale fully through your mouth (slower than you inhaled) to the count of Eight. You should make an audible whoosh when making this exhale.
- Repeat 4-6 times, you’ll immediately feel the calming sensation
It’s not counted in seconds; it’s a count, so 4-7-8 just means the inhale takes twice as long as the exhale. With practice, you’ll hold it longer and longer, and the effects are excellent!
This technique is not just for the holidays either, add this to your repertoire for an instant nervous system tranquilizer. It works quickly and efficiently without any narcotic side effects. The beauty of it is the more you practice, the more benefits you’ll get. It’s not only useful for stress relief and anxiety, it works wonders with getting to sleep so give it a try before bed as well!
You may get a little lightheaded with any new breathing techniques, so I always recommend starting them from a safe seated position until you know your breathing limits.
If all else fails, then you can try beer pong with the eggnog to take the edge off!
Here’s a simple video that will help you if my instructions weren’t sufficient 🙂
