Self-Care

Self-Care

By: Nathan Pillai

Published On: July 25, 2019

A person can benefit from being cognizant of their self-care at any time throughout the day. The multitude of stress factors that come with everyday life, no matter how trivial they made seem, can easily pile up and take a toll on your wellbeing.

Luckily, there is an easy exercise that you can do to help alleviate stress and tension. It only takes a few minutes and it involves steady, rhythmic breathing that can be done anywhere. In fact, you can try the following activity in the middle of your workday if you start to feel overwhelmed by your tasks, or even if you just need to recentre yourself.

Step 1: Make sure you’re sitting comfortably, then close your eyes.

Step 2: For two seconds, breathe in slowly through your mouth while being aware of the feeling of your chest expanding as your lungs fill with air.

Step 3: For four seconds, breathe our slowly through your mouth while being aware of the feeling of your lungs deflating, letting the air escape.

Repeat these three steps for two or three minutes, making sure to concentrate on the sensation of your lungs expanding and contracting. This will help you relax and recentre yourself.