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Stress is so much a part of our lives today that we forget that it is possible to live differently. We might even think that, the opportunity to live a less stressful life arise, we would not deserve to take it. However, just because something is "normal" does not mean it is right or healthy. If we find a way to live sanely in a crazy world, we will be helping ourselves and others.
The problem is that a lot of the measures commonly used to reduce stress sound pretty crazy themselves. People who take mood-enhancing medication can end up dependent or even addicted. Others became hooked on therapy or dodgy self-help classes.
Perhaps the most sensible option is to harness one of the bodys natural processes: breathing in the form of respiratory exercise. Philosophers like Renee Descartes may have drawn a strict dividing line between the mind and the body, but common experience shows that the state of one affects the state of the other. If you wake up with terrible cramps, you will probably be in a foul mood and unable to think clearly for the whole day. However, if your body is relaxed, you will probably be able to stay calm and focused, even in very tough emergencies.
Many stress-relieving breathing exercises are associated with religion, or more recently, New Age philosophy. However, if you would like to keep your exercises secular, and also free of reflection or mysticism, you may try sticking to the strictly physical aspect of the instructions. (Of course, one may question whether you can say you are doing yoga at all, if you strip the exercises of their grounding in religion and philosophy.)
Even if you are not ready to adopt Hinduism or Buddhism completely, meditation can be great for you. Sometimes, we need to take some time out, and step away from the hamster wheel that is the modern way of life (and state of mind), so we can see it more clearly. We may come to some startling or even uncomfortable revelations, but it is often better to know the truth than live swaddled in comforting but extremely hollow distractions.
Still, let us start with the physical aspects of the relationship between breathing problems and stress. Firstly, deep breathing tends to relax the muscles, preventing aches, stiffness and cramps. Unless you have totally cut your mind away from physical sensations, the resulting increase in comfort will then help to put you in a better mental and emotional state. Furthermore, better overall respiration means that your mitochondria (the little energy-processing organelles in your cells) are able to function more efficiently, so that you will not tire as easily, and springing into sudden action will be less of a jolt.
Then there is the concentration and mental discipline that you needarily develop as a result of consciously going about improving breathing patterns. It will not be an easy or instantaneous process, but the mental skills and attitudes you will learn will help you deal with all sorts of challenges with calm, skill and poise. Now that's great stress relief.
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Source by Keith Tennent
