Last time I shared one of my all time favourite self-care rituals – meditating in the bath.
But self-care doesn’t always have to take a long time. Some of the best self-care tools are little techniques that you can turn to when you are triggered, stressed, overwhelmed. You discover them on your journey, play around with them & realize they work & you pop them in your self-care tool kit, knowing you can turn to them whenever you need them.
Having little tricks that you can pull out of your self-care tool kit when you need them is as important to creating a practice of self-care as taking time to meditate & do yoga, spend time in nature, garden, whatever it is that you like doing that is all about nurturing your mind, body & soul.
Self-care is also about having a tool kit, an arsenal of coping mechanisms. These are little tricks, techniques, conscious moments which help us to thrive even if times are stressful!
These little techniques are brilliant because when you notice that you’re triggered, stressed, anxious, overwhelmed you don’t have to disappear to meditate for 10 minutes or get on your yoga mat. Instead you can turn to these tips right when you need them. Perfect for when the festivities get a bit overwhelming & you need to reset.
Today I’m going to share 2 little breath techniques which really help to calm the mind, relieving stress, anxiety & overwhelm.
I have been using the longer exhalation for years.
The exhalation activates the vegas nerve which in turn stimulates the relaxation response, calming the mind. It’s a brilliant technique to know because you can use it anywhere.
Since our brain doesn’t know the difference between real & perceived threats it’s a really useful tool for dealing with the emotional & mental stress the holidays can sometimes present.
Simply breathe in smoothly for 3 & breathe out for 5. Keep doing this until you feel a shift. A smile, a sigh, a yawn are all good signs of a shift. Feeling lighter in the shoulders or more grounded are also a promising sign that there has been a subtle shift. These subtle shifts all mount up to create something quite profound.
The second technique I’d like to share with you is finding the pause.
We have a tiny pause between the in breath & the out breath & again between the out breath & the in breath.
With this breath technique we simply exaggerate this pause.
When we find the pause in our breath it helps us to find the pause in our life.
This is especially useful during the menopause when plummeting hormones mean we can be more susceptible to over-reacting.
But let’s face it festive commitments can also make us feel over-whelmed & more likely to over-react.
But it’s also important to find the pause when things are going well to acknowledge these magical moments, savour them, give thanks for them – no better time to start fining the pause than in the holidays!
If you would like to find out more self-care tips to thrive in the festivities check out Alex’s FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulnessyoga4selfcare
Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbannard/
Short yoga sequences including yoga for stress are available on her YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw
Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.