How to cope with the stress of COVID-19?

Normal has left the building. The country. The planet!

The Coronavirus has changed just about everything we do and if you feel anxious or helpless the one thing to remember is to breathe. 

To properly breathe. 

You average about 25,000 breaths each day but most people use only a small part of their lung’s capacity. Shallow breathing deprives the body of oxygen which is essential for good health. The effects of inhalation and exhalation controls the workings of the heart and lungs, so by breathing properly your body’s energy production is working as it should and you will be able to cope with the extra stress that we are all going through at the moment.

​The simplest way is to close your eyes and consciously take three or four really deep breaths with equally deep exhalations and notice how much tension you release. 

To go deeper into it, you can cover one of your nostrils, inhale whilst counting to five, hold your breath and then breathe out whilst counting to five, another pause of breath, swap side of nostril and repeat. This is a simple version of Pranayama breathing and you will hopefully feel a bit more relaxed after doing this exercise for a few minutes. 

​Next time you feel the panic coming on, try to remember that your breathing controls how you feel, think and react. 

I wish you all the best for this time ahead.
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Stay safe. And stay sane.