Feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Try this quick breathing exercise

By | April 2, 2021

Can a simple breathing exercise change our mood? Purpose and Performance Coach, Mark Whittle, says it can. Join us every week for productivity hacks, lifestyle changes and tools to help you through the rest of lockdown. 

Our breath is the most valuable tool we have available to us. It is our life source, yet we take it for granted even though it’s right under our nose! 

On average, we breathe 24,000 times a day. Ask yourself, how many of those breaths you are consciously aware of? 

Interestingly, our breathe changes with our emotions and our mood.

Feeling stressed? Our breath becomes short and moves to our chest and shoulders. Feeling relaxed? Our breath becomes deep and moves into our belly. 

Crucially though, we can use this knowledge to take back control of our breath and change how we feel.

The breathing exercise you need to try…

Studies have shown that as little as six full deep breaths, inhaling all the way to the top of our lungs and exhaling all the way to the bottom of our lungs, shifts the physiology in our bodies enough to reduce anxiety and the feeling of stress and boosts our energy levels. 

So the next time you are starting the day with a huge to do list and feel stressed and overwhelmed, are about to deliver that all important pitch and feel a bit nervous, or are waiting to join your 100th zoom call of the day with little energy left, give yourself 90 seconds to take six full, deep breaths and then go again.

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Mark+Whittle_Take+Flight_long

 Mark Whittle is a purpose, performance and lifestyle coach. 

Mark is also hosts one of the UK’s leading podcasts – Take Flight – featuring over 100 episodes with the worlds greatest minds and performers. 

Having lived with mental health himself, Mark vulnerably shares his own experience in an attempt to inspire others to open up themselves, rather than suffer in silence.

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