Today I want to talk about stress. If you have an autoimmune disease like RA you know that excess stress can sometimes lead to a flare — and nobody wants that.
When I’m feeling super stressed I like to use the 4-7-8 breathing method to help me calm down and center myself. Breathing is one of the most efficient ways to address your stress — and it doesn’t cost a thing! How may things can you say that about?
Anybody can do this — believe me, if I can do it, so can you! It goes like this:
- Start inhaling and exhaling with a goal of each breath having a longer exhale than inhale. See if your exhale can become twice as long as your inhale. The goal is to do 8-10 breath cycles. However, when you first start, if this is too much just what you can; 4 or 5 reps is just fine.
- Next, close your mouth and inhale through your nose for a count of 4, then hold for a count of 7, open your mouth and exhale emphatically for a count of 8. Again the goal is to repeat at least 8 – 10 cycles.
- When you breathe in, breathe in through your nose into your belly until it’s “full” then exhale completely saying HA.
OK, now let’s do a couple of cycles together.
I feel better already! How about you?
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