Did you know that literally paying attention to your breathing can really help calm you down? Moreover, intentionally trying to make your exhale longer than your inhale tends to be even more calming.

Why, you might ask? Well, paying attention to your breathing (and especially making the exhale longer than the inhale) activates the vagus nerve, which brings life to the calming part of your nervous system ie. parasympathetic nervous system. 🙂

If you’re up for a little experiment and can pause for a quick bit, why not try?

Get into a comfortable position: breathe in for 2, pause, breathe out for 4 (and slowly work up to longer intervals if that feels good to you.)

If you notice more peace– or any pleasant sensation– of course please feel free to soak it up and stay there.

And if it doesn’t work for you, no problem— then you’ll know to try again later or try something else. After all, we’re not going to know if new mental health tips help our mental health… unless we try! It’s all about practicing and seeing what uniquely works for each of us.

May we experience peace– whether that is an infusion of peace or little pockets of peace that bring some relief.

Warmly, Robyn

For More:

• Last year, I wrote a blog post that walks you through deep-breathing, along with a soundbite that syncs up breathing with Scripture. Check it out if you’re interested. 🙂