The power of a breath

You know when you feel tense, stressed or anxious and, without even thinking, reach for the biscuit tin/G&T/vape (pick your favourite vice here)?

On the spot. that little something makes it all good, then guilt creeps in. You know you should not overeat/drink/smoke. 

What if you managed to catch yourself before reaching for your automatic self-medicating habit?

What if you breathed instead? 

Close your eyes and start consciously breathing in and out, slowly and deeply. Follow the rise and fall of your breath where you feel it the most (your stomach or chest). This simple process can stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, making soothing hormones flow through your body, and calming negative thoughts, feelings and emotions, so you begin to relax and become conscious of your actions. This can give you the upper hand over your automatic negative habits.

It sounds trivial, but it works. I can testify to it because I stopped smoking and drinking at the beginning of this year using breathwork and becoming more conscious of my internal emotional state via meditation, yoga and journaling.

Take a look at this video for an example of a breathing technique that can help break bad habits.

 This article was originally written for the Green Gorilla weekly newsletter. If you liked it, subscribe to receive more articles like this and learn how to communicate sustainability better, how to be more productive without selling your soul to the work devil, and how to make an impact in the world. Here is the link: https://newsletter.thegreengorilla.co.uk/