6 Seconds to Engagement
By Russell Hunter

We all seem to know what stress is.

Many of us define it as "the demands of life" - but these demands of life are actually stressors, not the stress response itself. Stress is the effect we allow these demands to have on us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Acute stress affects something called our autonomic nervous system. Our heart rate increases, pupils dilate, blood rushes toward large muscles and away from the fingers and toes. Muscles can tighten and adrenaline and cortisol are released into your blood stream. These reactions are all part of the "fight-or-flight" response.

This response was handy for cave men thousands of years ago. Even today it comes in handy in combat and sports. We need our bodies to prepare us to fight or run. But the fight-or-flight response is not helpful when driving to work, or when we are threatened at an emotional level; yet our bodies still respond that way to stress. There's nobody to fight and nowhere to run. We're just left with fast breathing, a racing heart, perspiration, and a feeling of anxiety.

So what does this have to with our breathing?

When we feel stress and anxiety, what happens to our breathing? Typically, people begin to take shallow, quick breaths which come from the chest instead of from the diaphragm, the dome shaped muscle at the bottom of the lungs. When breath comes from the chest, instead of from the diaphragm, breath is coming from the upper parts of the lungs instead of the lower section. Less oxygen gets into the bloodstream during shallow breathing. The change in oxygen level causes more warning signals to the brain, leading to more anxiety, triggering more shallow breaths-a vicious cycle.

Deep breathing from the diaphragm, on the other hand, is slower, fuller and promotes more oxygen into the bloodstream. It can interrupt the stress response and reverse the process in a matter of seconds. We call this Active Recovery Breathing.

Here's how it works:

Breathe in: Concentrate on filing your lower portions of your lungs by pushing your diaphragm down, the abdomen out, and inhaling through your nose. The middle portions of the lungs should fill next by raising the rib cage and expanding the chest. Finally, the upper portions of the lungs should be filled by slightly raising your chest and shoulders. Some people find it helpful to close there eyes when they breathe in to remove any visual triggers of the stressor.

Hold the breath momentarily and then…

Breathe out: Exhale slowly through your mouth, consciously and deliberately pulling the abdomen in and lowering your chest and shoulders. The diaphragm will simultaneously recoil upwards back to its resting position. Your exhale should be about twice as long as your breath in. ie. If your breath in was three seconds, your breath out should be about six. As you exhale fully, try to relax all the muscles in your body at the same time.

You will be amazed at how quickly 2-3 breaths like this can change your physiological response to stress. It helps you relax, reduces muscle tension, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and halts the release of adrenalin and cortisol. Once your breathing is under control, feelings of calmness, focus, and confidence will make it far easier to remain engaged in situations that would normally throw us into the depths of a stress response.

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GOAL THIS MONTH:
Get into the habit of practicing Active Recovery Breathing at least once a day when you are starting to breath shallow. Eventually this will become an automatic response when your stress levels begin to rise.

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