Ravaged By Time

I really should preface this blog post with the fact that I am not a therapist, psychologist or any actual trained professional. I am just a man that has lived with anxiety for his whole life. These are things I did to combat the attacks.

In my last blog, I talked about doing two quick inhales through your nose and a long exhale out of your mouth. Here are the four benefits this breathing technique can do for you. 1> Rapid stress and anxiety relief. I use this when my attacks are at their worst because it helps to calm me down quicker. 2. Maximizes CO2 release. The first inhale will fill your lungs while the second inhale fills the air sacs that my have collapsed during the first inhale that allows you to release more CO2 out of your body. 3. Activate the Vagus nerve. The long exhale activates the Vagus nerve which helps blocks out the fight or flight instinct in the body allowing one to calm down quicker. 4. Improves mental state. It does this by reducing tension which leads to a calmer mind.

Deep breathing exercises are also helpful. My favorite one is to slowly inhale through you nose for a count of four. Hold the breath for a count of four. Exhale from your mouth to a count of four. Focusing on your breathing and counting will also help clear the mind and reduce stress. I generally use this method after the two quick inhales through the nose and one long exhale through the mouth. It is generally during the holding of the breath when i notice myself calming down.

The last method I am going to talk about today is one I learned from my therapist when I was in college a couple of years ago. Yes I know I am an old man but I put my dreams on hold until my kids graduated and moved out of the house and then I went back to college and got my Bachelors degree in Illustration two months before I turned 50. My therapist turned me on to a Chinese breathing exercises called Qigong. Qigong is similar to Tai Chi. Tai Chi is Chinese exercises to build a healthier body while Qigong is Chinese breathing exercises to build a healthier mind. I highly recommend looking up the exercises on YouTube, they are extremely helpful. My favorite one can be done sitting in a chair. Sit upright and take a long inhale filling your abdomen with air and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold this inhale for several seconds and then when you exhale collapse your body forward slightly releasing the air in your abdomen and relaxing the shoulder blades. I love this technique and it can be a great way to wake up in the morning.

I guess that will do for today. Stay calm and aware.~Ravaged By Time