When Stress and Anxiety Knock on your Door, what's Your Plan?
Joys Short Story - Unlock Instant Calm & Focus with Balanced Breath
Joy led a hectic lifestyle, managing a full-time job as a nurse in a local hospital, family with two kids, (mostly) supportive husband, a dog and a cat, not to mention daily commutes through her city's busy traffic.
She found herself stressed and exhausted every day, yearning for a sense of calm and more energy every day.
On a bright and cold autumn morning, Joy hopped into her car, adjusted her seat, and thought: "Oh God, it's Friday, and I also have a Sunday shift at the hospital." She wanted to cry from exhaustion. She hadn’t planned for life to feel this miserable so often, but her choices led her here - very tired woman in her 40s, constantly lacking time for her hobbies and self-care.
Her head fell on the steering wheel and anxiety thoughts about falling seriously sick, like some of her patients, became real again.
Joy lifted her head and looked into a car mirror and she suddenly remembered Balanced Calming Breath, practice she stumbled upon on one online wellness platform last weekend.
This rhythmic balanced breathing harnessed this soothing rhythm of diaphragmatic breathing.
"Why not give it a try during my morning commute?" she thought.
So, Joy started her car, with a firm grip on the steering, she inhaled slowly and deeply through her nose, counting to four.
The traffic lights turned red, offering her a pause to exhale gently without forcing the air out, for another count of four through her nose.
And Joy inhaled again for a count of four through her nose, she imagined her diaphragm moving down, creating space for her lungs to fill with fresh air.
This is the essence of diaphragmatic breathing, a technique that encourages more efficient oxygen exchange, it slows your heartbeat, stabilizes blood pressure, and taps into “rest and digest” mode, promoting overall calm but keeping us focused at the same time. It's a contrast to shallow chest breathing which can induce anxiety and drain energy if it becomes your normal breathing pattern.
As she exhaled through her mouth this time, for another count of four, she visualized all this tension leaving her body. This is a fundamental benefit of diaphragmatic balanced breathing as it helps your body eliminate toxins and promotes better general body function.
The usual car horns and impatient drivers didn't bother her as much.
The rhythm of her breath seemed to dance with the flow of traffic around her, and she thought this was a sign — wow, she can do this, and it is simple!
On the way back home Joy got into her car, adjusted her seat again, and began her drive, but Instead of stressing over the traffic, she started practicing Balanced Breathing again.
Days went by and Joy continued her practice in the car every morning and evening, after her short lunch at the hospital, and whenever she needed to rebalance her energies with a "quick fix" at that particular moment.
Daily commutes transformed from stressful to kind of soothing.
One day, a dear colleague Vita noticed her unusual calm when Joy arrived at the hospital and got curious about what had happened.
Joy shared this Balanced Breathing technique with Vita and mentioned how diaphragmatic breathing, which was a part of it, helped her find calm and energized moments throughout a day.
And this steady rhythmic Balanced Breath wasn't just a breathing technique for Joy, but a daily ritual that brought serenity and focus to her life.
Does this short story speak to you?
If it does, let's take a moment to practice Balanced Breathing together.
Find a comfortable spot to sit or stand:
Take a deep breath in through your nose, counting to four as you inhale.
Exhale gently through your nose (or mouth), also counting to four.
Continue this rhythmic breathing, and feel a smooth flow concentrating on your abdomen and chest.
As you breathe in and out, you may notice a slight pause of around 1-2 seconds between inhales and exhales, this is a natural and normal rhythmic breathing cycle.
Feel a sense of calmness and relaxation washing over you, just like the soothing effect of water when showering, swimming, or drinking it.Now, Breathe In (always) through your Nose and take a slow, deep breath in through your nose for a count of 4 taking this breath Into your "belly" (diaphragm).
Your Abdomen will move up as you inhale.
Exhale slowly and gently Through Your Nose or mouth for a count of four, feeling your Abdomen fall.
Repeat for 5-10 rounds; it is approximately 1-3 minutes of your time.
Almost all of us experience daily moments like Joy.
What will you do about it?
Simply try this breathing technique today.
To Your Breath!
Really
Thank you for the reminder of deep and conscious breathing!