Breathe...just breathe.

Breathe… just breathe.

Job 33:4 states,

“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Anyone who gets “stressed out” (and that is every one of us) needs this reminder to breathe.

When we are stressed, our brain sends a chemical message to various systems and organs in our body. The result is that our brain loses its ability for clear, rational thought. Our decision-making is negatively affected. We become impulsive and we do and say things that we perhaps regret. Our body’s muscles tighten, our jaw clenches, we breathe rapidly, our heart rate increases and our liver releases more sugar into our blood ready for action.

These automatic, primitive responses are all important because they help a human prepare for necessary action by either freezing in place, fighting against or fleeing from the perceived threat or stressor.

But, in this modern age, these responses are not typically what we need to bring the situation back to one of calmness.

Deep breathing is what we need to connect our body and brain in the midst of stress.

Deep, slow breaths calm our physiological responses to the stress

and give our mind a focus away from the stressor(s).

It is through the simplicity of something we can control…

...3 deep breaths in and out…

that we bring our emotional, physical and spiritual being back into alignment.

Try it!

Close your eyes and breathe in deeply and slowly 3 times.

Choose to bring the life-giving, restorative breath inside of you

and calm your body …

and mind…

down.

Breathe…just breathe.