A breathing break at the workplace
We come across a number of negative events, news and distractions that seem to demand too much of our attention. These distractions activate our sympathetic nervous system, which keeps us anxious and prevents us from calming down. The purpose of the sympathetic nervous system is to prepare the body for action, and the purpose of the parasympathetic nervous system is to calm the body. It is the latter that we need to focus on in order to increase our mental well-being and reduce anxiety. Constant stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system is tiring for the body and prevents us from switching off properly.
If there was a tool that would help you switch off from complex daily events, create balance in your body and lower your blood pressure at the same time, would you use it?
What if this tool is available to everyone? It’s breathing
What is a breathing break?
Breathing breaks belong to the field of positive psychology, which aims to make our everyday life better. Simple exercises focusing on attention and peace of mind can increase people’s mental well-being and health. Exercises of this kind have shown good results in reducing stress, anxiety, attention deficit and rambling. They have been used for a long time in various schools of psychotherapy and various educational programs. In English, these exercises are called mindfulness exercises.
What is their purpose?
The purpose of breathing exercises is to learn to become aware of the movement of your attention and to get used to consciously direct and maintain it. Becoming aware of situations and thought patterns creates an opportunity over time to get rid of our automatic behavior patterns that do not support us. The ability to manage your emotions and thoughts helps you achieve success in self-development.
Although sitting in one position for 5-10 minutes and focusing on your breathing may seem terribly boring, would you have a different attitude if you knew that even just a three-minute breathing break has positive consequences that help create balance in your body, reduce anxiety and stress?
How to perform breathing exercises?
- Choose a comfortable position for yourself
- Close your eyes
- Focus on the present moment
- Explore your thoughts
- Think about your mood
- Listen to your body
- Focus your attention only on breathing
- Feel the inhalation and exhalation and at the same time try to release the tension in your body
- Take a long breathing break
After taking a breathing break, ask yourself, do I feel fresher? Am I ready to get on with my day? Imagine being able to feel just as great absolutely every day.
If you feel that you would like to pay more attention to your mental health and improve your well-being, you have the opportunity to do it with us! We also teach your team how to take breathing breaks More information on the home page.
You can use YouTube videos to learn about breathing. Some examples:
