Familiar with “fight or flight?” With sudden high stress, there is an activation of the fight or flight response, getting the body ready to either flee the scene or fight. Of course in most cases, there is no place to run (or hide), and the stressful situation is not one that can easily be fought off. And with … [Read more...]
Is Stress a Laughing Matter?
Since today would have been Lucille Ball's 100th birthday, it's only fitting to consider the power of laughter in stress relief. When is the last time you laughed, hard? Was it just earlier today? Or a couple of days ago? With high stress, it's pretty easy to get serious and worried. Playfulness and stress usually … [Read more...]
Hidden Effects of Stress Breathing – II
In a recent post I talked about some of the hidden effects of “stress breathing,” or breathing only as far as the chest area. There is an additional hidden effect of that shallower, tighter way of breathing; that’s the effect on your emotions. Our emotions can affect our breath, of course. When we are feeling calm … [Read more...]
Hidden Effects of Stress Breathing – I
You may have noticed: when you feel stressed out your breathing changes. If you are feeling under stress for a while, it can change your pattern of breathing. What I call “stress breathing,” a shallow breath that only goes down as far as the chest area, can become a habit. This kind of breathing has several … [Read more...]