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When faced with stress or an excess of emotions, it can be particularly difficult to control everything. Fortunately, there are many methods to learn how to relax and combat these negative emotions. We present to you four of them!
Do you often feel upset, stressed and overwhelmed by your emotions? Between relationships, social life, family and work, the current lifestyle can easily bring you a small dose of stress. To help you, there is a well-known principle: breathing. Indeed, this method can be a real tool to relax quickly and effectively. However, among the many exercises that exist, we do not always know where to turn. This is why we present four of them to you, requiring little time and no equipment. So take about twenty minutes and give way to relaxation!
1) Five Finger Breathing
- Place one of your hands in front of you, fingers apart and palm facing you.
- Place the index finger of the other hand below the thumb of the base hand and move it slowly from the thumb to the tip. As you perform this movement, inhale slowly, focusing on your breathing. When your index finger reaches the top of the thumb, perform the movement downward while exhaling slowly.
- Perform this entire movement on your five fingers, from the thumb to the little finger. Don’t forget to focus on the breaths!
- Once the little finger is reached, reverse the process by returning to the thumb.
Here, the goal is above all to concentrate on your breathing, during the entire process. Relax with each rise and fall, and deeper and deeper. You can repeat this exercise as many times as necessary until you completely calm down.
2) Breathing 4-7-8
- Choose a position in which you feel comfortable.
- Place the tip of your tongue on your roof of the mouth.
- Inhale deeply through your nose to the count of 4 in your head.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds.
- Repeat this breathing process at least 3 times.
3) Square breathing (or box breathing)
- Sit up straight and exhale slowly through your mouth until all the oxygen is removed from your lungs.
- Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose for four long seconds. Hold your breath (another four long seconds)
- Exhale through your mouth for another count of four. You need to expel as much air as possible from your lungs and abdomen.
- Hold your breath while slowly counting to… four again, before starting the technique again. You get it, everything is based on the four-second rule!
During this exercise, the important thing is to work in full awareness. When you inhale, you should feel the air entering your lungs until the air enters your abdomen. Likewise, as you exhale, be aware of the sensation of the air escaping from your lungs.
Good in his body, good in his head!
4) Alternate breathing through the nostrils
- Start by exhaling through your mouth, making a “whistling” sound.
- Choose one hand and place your index finger next to your left nostril, and your thumb next to your right nostril.
- Close your right nostril using your thumb to inhale through your left nostril.
- Also close your left nostril using your index finger. At this point, both nostrils are closed. Take the opportunity to hold your breath for a moment or two.
- Release your right nostril and exhale.
- Then, keeping your left nostril closed, inhale through your right nostril.
- Use your thumb to plug your right nostril. Once both nostrils are closed, hold your breath again for a moment or two.
- Release your index finger to unblock your left nostril and exhale.
The ideal is to incorporate one of these techniques (the one that suits you best) into your daily routine! This way, you will be more accustomed to returning to calm and it will seem more and more simple to you. Do not hesitate to supplement these exercises with physical activity and flexibility to relax your muscle contractions.