Stress is felt psychologically but it has internal chemical and hormonal imbalance related to it. Harmonizing internal imbalance can restore mental peace and harmony.
There is evidence of well-defined imbalance while in a stressful state and vice versa. There are short term relief and long term Stress Relief Therapies to handle stress.
Short term relief plays an important role in certain situations like decision making, anger management, before the interview, in multitasking and in an emergency. Breathing exercises are the quickest way to relieve stress immediately, there are certain patterns of breathing to calm you down and to restore your internal imbalance.
Kundalini Meditation is one of the fastest ways to relieve stress.
- While in stress, find a place to sit comfortably either cross-legged or on a chair with feet on the ground. Keep your spine straight.
- Close your eyes slowly.
- Choose a word to chant, like AUM, and start chanting either loud or whisper. Keep the focus on your breathing and start noticing your breathing.
- Divide breathing into four parts, inhale, hold, exhale, and hold. Try to choose an equal duration to each segment (Box Breathing). Start with the count of four for each segment initially and try to increase the duration up to 7-8 count.
- Focus on the spine and feel the upward flow in the spine and balanced tone of your body muscles.
- Feel your feet, your back, your hands, and your head. Continue to feel the upward flow of energy from the base of the spine to top. As flow will go upwards your breathing will start to slow down and time each segment of breathing will automatically increase. Keep chanting the mantra in a whisper.
- Keep repeating the process with one complete segment of breathing. After five to seven minutes you will at ease and now bring awareness to your surroundings, continue your breathing pattern for the next few seconds, slowly open your eyes and feel stress-free.
Mindfulness Therapy Mindfulness is another way of stress relaxation.
Mindfulness, usually combines, breathing exercises, body and mind connection, mind and muscle harmony.
- Choose comfortable to sit or lie down, close your eyes slowly, start box breathing as we discussed earlier, let the mind think and wonder, be aware of breathing, see and feel inhalation, and each segment of breathing.
- Listen to your body, feel the blood flow in your body, feeling the tone of your muscle, feel your heartbeat. As you become aware of breathing and body let the mind think, watch each thought as it arises, don’t fight with it or try to changes the thought, watch it coming rising and dying.
- Just be aware of thoughts and let them come and go, combine this state of mind with breathing awareness and body sensations.Harmony between mind, body, and muscles starts establishing.
- Continue and keep repeating the process for 5-7 minute. After five to seven minutes you will at ease and now bring awareness to your surroundings, continue your breathing pattern for the next few seconds, slowly open your eyes and feel stress-free.
Effect of these is seen when done, follow the instruction without being judgemental.
For Box Breathing, apps are available on iOS and androids
