Day 2 – Breathe Deeply

This time of year, we are in constant movement – decorating, planning, working, shopping, traveling, cooking, cleaning, and socializing (maybe less traveling and socializing this year). While all of that is necessary, and some of it is fun, it does take a toll on our hormonal health.

Constant movement triggers our sympathetic nervous system and elicits a stress response in the body, aka the fight or flight response. In a stressed state, our body uses a lot of valuable hormonal resources. Cortisol is one of the primary hormones at play but not the only one impacted negatively.

In fight or flight mode, our body directs all of its valuable resources outward for quick thinking and quick-moving, leaving little resources left for the rest of the critical functions in our body to take place to keep our health in line.

BUT, there is something you can do that takes 2 minutes or less to snap yourself out of this reactive place and quickly into more of a rest and relaxation mode so your hormones can come back into balance and your body can heal from all the work it has been doing…

Deep Breathing.

It’s as simple as that. When we adopt the deep, rhythmic breathing patterns of a relaxed person, we can automatically and instantly flip the switch from being in fight or flight mode into a more relaxed state.

Try this ten times…

  • Inhale for a count of 5
  • Hold the breath for a count of 5
  • Exhale for a count of 7

You can use this simple breathing technique anytime you notice yourself moving too fast or when you’ve gone a long time without taking a break to bring cortisol and other hormones back into balance instantly.

I often do this once in the morning, afternoon, and before bed. Set the alarm on your phone to remind you to stop at least once a day this holiday season to breathe deeply and promote hormone balance.

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