Breathing
Denise Heberlein
MA, LPC/A
1/15/2024
Breathing.
We take breathing for granted. We don’t stop and think about how beneficial it is to our bodies. Did you know that the brain requires a “…full 20 percent of your body’s oxygen…” to manage our body’s essential functions? The brain is working hard to keep us alive, dedicating this first portion of oxygen to do that. The 20 percent is allotted to complex brain functions that keep us “…alert, focused, and calm.”
When we become emotionally dysregulated, we default to shallow breathing, which robs our brain of the appropriate amount of oxygen that we need to concentrate, remember, regulate moods, stay calm, have calm thoughts, have positive mental health, and have energy. This, in turn, causes us to react out of the emotional part of our brain and may cause an adverse situation with others, such as arguing or yelling. Our brain is deprived of oxygen when we are upset, which is needed to help us stay calm during stressful situations.
The brain must have enough oxygen to maintain our essential functions for survival. When our brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs, the Amygdala is now in charge. This is our survival brain, which tells us to fight, flee, freeze, or fawn. Acting on these basic emotions will not cultivate effective communication or calm decision-making. For us to get back to a fully functioning brain, we need to stop and take some deep breaths. Deep breathing enables us to return to our Wise Mind to help us make thoughtful decisions.
We must practice deep breathing daily to help keep us in Wise Mind. Then, when situations arise, we will automatically defer to deep breathing to keep our brains calm. Take slow, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose during stressful or emotional situations. Feel your stomach distended by touching it while taking a deep breath. After fully inflating your lungs with oxygen, slowly and gently exhale through your mouth until all oxygen has left your body. Practicing this technique several times, with resting breaths in between, will allow your mind to get the appropriate amount of oxygen it needs to function at optimum capacity.
Practice this breathing procedure daily, and don’t wait until an emotional situation arises. Practicing will allow you to take deep breaths automatically during a stressful situation. Allowing your brain to function as it was intended, wholly and calmly. This technique may seem simple and basic, but it has such a force to allow our bodies to function at the peak level God intended.
I like to think that in the story found in John 8: 1-11, where Jesus knelt to write in the dust, He was taking a moment to breathe before he addressed the men and the woman. I imagine he may have been frustrated with the men trying to trip him up with his own words. Or maybe he was aggravated with the woman who was constantly sleeping with other men and would not stop sinning. The Bible doesn’t tell us, yet Jesus was human; he had emotions as we have. From this passage, I could think about how I would have reacted in that moment. I know that I would have been aggravated and needed a moment to breathe to calm my mind and communicate effectively with them. This allowed Jesus to act effectively, saying what he needed to say out of love rather than frustration.
It is the start of a new year. Why not prioritize breathing deeply and slowly to foster a healthier body and mind? It will also create opportunities to have better communication with others.