Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another Senior
Safety Advice Podcast. I'm Esther Cain, a retired
occupational therapist and currently a certified
aging in place specialist. So today, sticking
with this month's theme of Heart Health and Emotional
Resilience Month, it is February. Today, we're
going to talk about breathing techniques for
stress relief. And I want to start by saying
this. If you're feeling stressed, tense, overwhelmed,
or just plain worn down, you're not doing anything
wrong. Your body is doing what bodies do. Stress
shows up in the breath first. I bet you didn't
know that. Stress can show up in your breath,
your shallow breathing, but it can also show
up in tight shoulders, clenched jaws, painful
back, all kinds of issues. My husband, who was
a physician, my late husband, who was a physician
assistant, used to come home. He worked in family
practice, and he used to tell me that the majority
of people who were coming in to see him for physical
ailments didn't really have physical ailments.
They were just stressed, and I believe it. People
don't realize that the breath and stress that
can come from that, from not doing it correctly
or from not practicing, you know, simple exercises
to calm yourself down can really impact your
physical body. At the very least that what they
can do is, you know, exacerbate whatever issues
you may be having. Breathing, you may not know,
is one of the fastest ways to calm down the nervous
system. So we're going to be talking about that
today because it's amazing. You don't need equipment.
You don't necessarily need a quiet room, although
I think it helps. And you don't necessarily need
to lie down. You just need a few moments of attention.
And honestly, that's what makes this so freaking
powerful. I've worked with patients who felt
their stress ease in under a minute after using
these breathing techniques. So we're going to
be talking about that. Because what happens with
these breathing techniques is that their body
finally feels safe. And that's really, really
what breathing does. It sends a message to your
body that says, you're okay right now. All right.
One of the first things that I would teach my
patients is simply noticing their breath. A lot
of them would give me a look like, what are you
talking about? But not many of us take the time
to sit back and just close our eyes and notice
our breathing pattern. I'm not talking about
changing it or controlling it, just noticing
it. Notice how you're breathing. And where do
you feel it? Do you feel it in your chest, in
your shoulders, in your belly? Most stressed
people breathe high and shallow. That kind of
breathing keeps the body on alert. So even noticing
how you're breathing can really create a shift
because that's when you can begin to change it
a little. Another simple technique that I love
is slowing the exhale. You don't necessarily
have to take a deep breath because honestly that
can actually feel uncomfortable for some people.
Instead, breathe in naturally, then breathe out
a little slower than usual. Longer exhales tell
the nervous system to relax. I used to often
say something like, let the air leave you like
you're gently fogging a mirror. I know I've said
that before in other podcasts, but it's true.
Soft, slow, and unforced exhaling. Another technique
that works very well is counted breathing. Now,
nothing fancy. Inhale for a count of three, and
exhale for a count of five. Now, that longer
exhale, as I said before, is really the key.
Now, if counting feels stressful, then yeah,
don't do it. You can just think maybe in and
out and just drag out the word out. Breathing
should never feel like work. If it does, then
ease up, you know, figure out how to do it your
own way. That's something that I think people
don't always realize. They try to do exercises
exactly as they're taught. And that works for
some exercises. You have to do some physical
exercises exactly that way in order for it to
be productive and in order for it to not hurt
yourself. But with breathing, it's a little different.
You can find your own pattern. Another technique
I use a lot is hand -on -belly breathing. It's
simple. You place one hand on your chest and
the other hand on your belly and see if you can
let the belly move more than your chest while
you're breathing. This helps to activate the
calming part of the nervous system and it's especially
helpful for people who carry a lot of stress
in their chest. You may not have ever noticed
that you can breathe like that, you know, your
stomach coming in and out and how good it can
actually make you feel. That awareness alone
can change how safe the body feels. Another breathing
habit that helps with stress is breathing with
rhythm. Inhale, pause briefly, exhale, pause
again. Just a soft rhythm, no forcing. That predicability
calms the brain. It's especially helpful when
anxiety feels jittery or scattered. If you've
ever felt anxiety, you know what I'm talking
about. And I say this a lot in many of my podcasts,
but please don't aim for perfection. Breathing
doesn't have to be done perfectly. If you get
distracted, that's okay. If your mind wanders,
that's normal. Just come back to the breath.
That's enough. If you want to start over or continue,
it's up to you. Now, another technique that I've
seen a lot of benefit from is pairing breath
with movement. Slow breathing while rocking gently.
Slow breathing while walking slowly. slow breathing
while stretching your arms. That's especially
good in the mornings. I like to sit at the edge
of my bed and do that. That's a great way to
wake up. I think so at least. Movement plus breath
can feel more natural for some people, especially
if sitting increases your anxiety. It used to
for my late husband all the time. He had a hard
time just sitting. Another thing I want to mention
is breathing during stressful moments. Before
standing up, before answering the phone, before
opening an email, and, God help us, before turning
on the news. Just don't watch the news, that
will eliminate a lot of stress. One slow breath
before action can change how the moment feels.
It actually creates space, and space reduces
stress. I've especially seen this work very well,
family caregivers who often feel overwhelmed
and completely stressed from their life in general
at the moment. So one breath before responding
to anything instead of reacting to something.
That breath protects your nervous system. And
let's be truthful, at the end of the day, that
protects your health. And we should all know
by now that chronic stress keeps the body inflamed.
It affects your sleep. It affects your blood
pressure. It affects your heart health. It affects
your emotional health. Breathing helps interrupt
that cycle. Even short moments matter. You don't
need a 20, 30 minute session. And you don't necessarily
need a routine. Although if that helps you, definitely
do that. You just need a few intentional breaths
sprinkled throughout the day. It can be three
every now and then. It can be five every now
and then. Whatever you can do. And over time,
believe me, those moments do add up. The body
learns that it doesn't have to stay on high alert.
And that's when stress loses some of its grip
on you. Another thing I noticed a lot when working
with my patients is that people tend to hold
their breath without realizing it. I used to
do that a lot while taking my tests in college.
During your concentration, during when you're
in pain, during when you're in the midst of worry,
you tend to hold your breath and you don't even
know it. If you catch yourself doing that, just
gently exhale. That alone can release tension.
And here's something that I really want you to
hear. Breathing is not about fixing yourself,
it's about supporting yourself. It's a form of
kindness. It's a way of saying to yourself, I'm
here, I'm listening, I'm safe enough in this
moment. And that really matters, not only for
your physical health, but emotional health as
well. So if stress feels heavy right now, try
one slow breath. That's it. Just one. You don't
need to do more. You can if you want to. Small
moments of calm build resilience, and resilience
helps you face whatever comes next. Well, I hope
that is good for you today. That's all I have
for you today. I want to thank you again for
listening, for hanging out till the end. If today's
episode gave you some useful insights or some
new ideas, then please share it with someone
who might find it helpful as well. You can discover
even more expert tips and helpful guides for
seniors and caregivers at seniorsafetyadvice
.com. And if you're searching for an Aging in
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