Well, I wrote all about breathing in my last blog...but I have more to tell. There is a definite connection between breathing and how we deal in different conversations. In regards to talking tough, simply remembering to breathe is important in getting us to stop and listen. It stops all the thoughts that tend to overtake people when in tough conversations. Not only does it calm us down in a heated situation, it is way to take some time to reflect before reacting. It's a good excuse to stop before saying something that you regret. I often use this method of diaphragmatic breathing with my son to get him to calm down when he gets overwhelmed. I learned it years ago from a doctor when I was suffering from anxiety. If I get overwhelmed in my thoughts, I stop and take three deep breaths, counting slowly as I breathe to make sure that I am actually breathing deeply from top to bottom. After three breaths, I feel calmer. It works wonders on my son.
Shifting my awareness to breathing in a recent heated discussion helped me to look at the situation more objectively. I tend to say things without thinking or assessing the situation first. Breathing and thinking about the why of the situation allowed me to calm down a bit and look at it from a different perspective. I realized I was wrong and overreacted. If I had just stopped and taken some deep breaths first when I encountered the situation, I would never have lashed out to begin with!
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