By Katelyn Jackman
Have you ever gotten really worked up about something - something that made you super nervous or anxious, or super angry - and someone told you to “just breathe”? If you’re like me, that just may have made you even more nervous or frustrated in the moment. It’s not like you weren’t breathing already, right? How was that going to help? Well, let’s talk about why “just breathe” is actually some really good advice.
The Autonomic Nervous System
First off, we should take a minute to be grateful that our respiratory system is a bodily function regulated by our autonomic nervous system. That means that our body goes about breathing without our own conscious effort. Can you imagine trying to do something as simple as making your bed while also having to consciously breathe? (Alright, grab the sheet, pull it up *gasp* Dang it almost forgot to breathe! Okay, place the pillows nicely *gasp* Shoot I forgot again!) – that would be a mess. So yeah, we’re lucky our body can breathe on its own so we can focus on other important things (now I’m sure you’re annoyed because you’re thinking about breathing haha!)
Awesome, but not Perfect
The thing is though- even though it’s awesome that our body can do the breathing without us telling it to, it’s definitely NOT a perfect system. One of our respiratory system’s biggest flaws is that we do not even come CLOSE to using our lungs’ full capacity. If you need proof- take a deep breath. But not just any old deep breath. I want you to put your hand on your abdomen, and your other hand on your chest. When you breathe, I want you to breathe deep in your gut. Let your abdomen expand so that the hand on it raises- but make sure the hand on your chest stays pretty still. Do that a couple of times. It’s different, right? Crazy how much more your air you got in than you normally do? We tend to breathe really shallowly when our autonomic nervous system is in charge. We don’t even come close to inflating our lungs all the way!
So yeah, when people say “Take a deep breath” – that’s also good advice :)
Another flaw our respiratory system has, is that generally we don’t deflate our lungs all the way either. Proof? Take another deep breath (remember- let your abdomen expand, not your chest) and this time, push ALL of the air back out until there’s nothing left in your lungs. Took a lot longer than usual right? When we breathe in, our body uses the oxygen and all of the good stuff it needs, but most of the time it doesn’t take the time to get all of the extra junk back out again.
Intentional Breathing
So, that person telling you to “just breathe” – why was that good advice? Because it’s important to breathe intentionally sometimes. What does that mean? Frankly, it means doing the exercise we just did. Every once in a while, you need to stop, fill your lungs to complete capacity, and push all the air back out again- and do it a couple of times. Get all of the carbon dioxide and other toxins out and fill your body completely with new, fresh air. And guess what? The more you intentionally breathe, the more you are training your body to do it on its own - automatically!
Mindfulness & Biofeedback
The advice “just breathe” is also a good reminder to be mindful of what your body is telling you. Your body is constantly giving you physiological feedback about what’s going on inside of you. It manifests itself in many ways- the quickening of your heart rate and by extension, your breathing rate, getting sweaty hands (or sweaty everywhere), muscle tension (for me this will happen in my neck), shaking, chest or stomach discomfort, etc. These are symptoms that our sympathetic nervous system is on alert. The sympathetic nervous system is also part of our autonomic nervous system- you’ll often hear it termed the “flight or fight” response. When our body senses something is wrong or abnormal, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, and it lets us know via the symptoms above. It’s pretty cool that our body lets us know what’s going on right?
However, we live in a distracting world. So distracting that sometimes we get so caught up in things or worked up, that we don’t pay attention the our body’s feedback. Our body will be telling us that it needs a break, but we’re too busy working on something that’s due really soon, or we’re too busy ruminating over that mean thing someone said to us, or something else causing anxiety, anger or some other strong emotion. While some distractions may be worthy causes- ignoring your body is not a worthy cause.
That’s why the advice to “just breathe” is SO important. When you stop what you’re doing for a minute to lean back in your chair, close your eyes, and intentionally breathe, you create a beautiful opportunity to bond with your body. As you do so, for one, you are activating another part of your autonomic nervous system- the parasympathetic nervous system. Breathing more regularly increases its activity- and its job is to bring you back to homeostasis, where your heart rate is more normal, and your body isn’t in “fight or flight” anymore.
On top of that, as you breathe deeply into your abdomen and push the air all out again, you can pay attention to how you can assist the parasympathetic nervous system. Find out what’s going on- is there some tension you need to release in your neck? Do you need some water? Is there something stressful going on that you need to talk to someone about? Intentional breathing gives you the chance to let your body know that you’re aware of it and willing to take care of it.
Just Breathe
So, do your body a favor right now! Close your eyes and do some intentional breathing. And the next time you’re feeling worked up, give yourself this advice, and just breathe. Make intentional breathing a habit though- don’t just save it for the tough moments. Breathe intentionally and check in. Learn how your body communicates with you. Treat your body with the respect it deserves- it’s doing a lot more for you than you know!
Resources
It can be tough learn how to do this at first. For some help, try using a breathing pacer to practice- https://www.grc.com/breathe.htm is a great one! (Try 4-1-4-1 for a 6-breaths per minute pattern). A helpful app is “Stop, Breathe & Think” https://www.stopbreathethink.com/. It might take a little bit to learn to intentionally breathe but I promise it’s worth it- find what works for you!