Have you ever dreamed of achieving a goal, but given up?

 Maybe you wanted to learn to do yoga, run 5 kilometres or get stronger.

 The goal itself might be achievable in most cases in the long term, but the way you set about to achieve the goal might not be. 

 The number one thing you need to know about your goal is why? Why do I want this? 

 Why do I want to take up yoga, run 5 kilometres or get stronger?

 If you don’t know why you want to achieve a goal, then chances are it’s not going to be that important. When it’s not important the wheels fall off, you lose motivation and then you stop trying to achieve your goal.

 Another crucial step is the planning, and your expectations when you will achieve that goal. Say you want to start jogging to achieve running 5 kilometres. If you have never jogged before then where do you start? 

 It might start with walking a small distance each day to get into the habit of moving, but if you start out trying to run 3 kilometres the first time, chances are you won’t achieve that goal and you might not go back for more punishment either. You feel like a failure, and don’t attempt that again.

In Australia, stress is currently at an all-time high with skyrocketing interest rates and the cost of living rising. There just seems to be no relief.

Alcohol is something that people use to bring down the feeling of being stressed. But it’s not a healthy way to manage stress. So, how are you managing your stress levels?

What do you do to manage stress in your life? Are you looking for support in changing the way you deal with stress?

As a trained health and wellbeing coach, I support people who are looking to improve their health through lifestyle change.I work online via telehealth.If you think it’s time for change, contact me below on my website.

 The functions of the PNS include:

• Slowing your heart – reducing blood pressure.

• Relaxing muscles – reducing muscular tension.

• Improves sleep – by regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

• Digestion – stimulates digestion of food for repair and maintenance of our bodies.

How can you activate your PNS?

Deep or diaphragmatic breathing is a simple way to activate your PNS. 

Deep breathing requires you to breath deep into your belly, engaging your diaphragm muscle. This increases the amount of air that enters the lung. This initiates the PNS reducing our stress response leading to a more relaxed state.

How can you practice deep breathing to reduce your response to stress?

Find a quiet spot for 5 minutes. Sit in a comfortable chair, lay down or sit crossed legged on the floor.

• Place one hand on your belly, just below your ribcage and the other hand on your chest.

• Breathing through your nose (with your mouth closed), take a slow deep breathe through your nose. Feeling your belly (diaphragm) expanding as you breath in deeply.

• Hold this breathe for a few seconds (I hold for four seconds)

• Then slowly exhale, feeling your belly fall as you release the air.

• Repeat this deep breathing for several minutes.

This process can help reduce your response to stress and anxiety, promoting a more relaxed state.

Picture was downloaded for free and taken by Tim Goedhart: https://unsplash.com/@nofilter_noglory

Controlling your breathe to reduce your response to stress

When we are in a day of stress (or year as it seems now), taking time out to focus on your breathing is one of the simplest things you can do to control your response to stress.

Deep and slow breathing for just five minutes in a quiet environment helps calm your body and reduce stress. 

Stress is an emotional response created in our brains. Our emotions create physiological responses in our body such as changes in heart rate and the number of breathes we take. When we experience a perceived threat, are stressed and on high alert, our body increases its heart rate and triggers faster breathing.  This is our “fight or flight” stress response, also known as sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation.

Chronic activation of the SNS from stress leads to long term consequences to our health such as:

• Cardiovascular disease - leading to hypertension and stroke.

• Metabolic disorders - leading to obesity and insulin resistance.

• Immune dysfunction – leading to chronic illness or autoimmune disorders.

• Mental health and mood changes - leading to anxiety and depression.

So, what is the alternative?

Activating the “rest and digest” response in our bodies. This process is controlled by our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Activating the PNS help to counteract the effects of chronic stress.