Just breathe

We live in a hectic, fast-paced world where obligations seem to come at us from every direction. After working, in an often stressful environment, we come home to cooking, cleaning, laundry, ironing, helping the kids with homework and the list of tasks is never-ending. We try to find the balance between office and home, day in and day out (and still try to squeeze in some time for self-care), until we feel out of balance. Sounds familiar? Then you are in the right place. Read on and see that you are already doing what you should be doing to de-stress, you just need to do it consciously.

Take a deep breath

The secret to calming down the body and the mind when there is so much to think about and so much to do, is to just … breathe. Just remember how often you were told to ‘Take a deep breath’ when you were over-excited, nervous or agitated. It is because your breath is a form of communication with your body’s nervous system, which tells you whether the world around you is safe or unsafe. When you hold your breath without noticing it or when you are breathing in a rapid and shallow way, you are signalling to your body that you are in some kind of danger, which sends it into the ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing hormones, increasing the heart rate and blood pressure. The danger or threat that sends our body into the ‘fight or flight’, is not only physical but also psychological, and can be triggered by stress.

Conscious breathing

We breathe in and out about 25,000 times per day. These breaths are unconscious, but when you develop an awareness of the air moving in and out of your body, you will see you becoming calmer and lighter. Slow, deep, mindful breathing will communicate to your brain that you are safe. In fact, conscious deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress, boost the immune system, and improve mood, sleep, blood pressure, respiratory function, metabolism, focus and more. So all you have to do to improve your health and life is to continue doing what you have been doing since the second you were born. Breathe in, breathe out, and repeat.

Here are some easy breathing techniques you can start practicing today. Or even now, while you are reading.

• Take a deep breath and feel your lungs expand fully. Then slowly exhale to a count of five. Repeat about ten times.
• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale deeply through the nose, allowing diaphragm to inflate. Slowly exhale. Repeat for a couple of minutes. This technique works wonders when you’re under stress.
• Simply focus on your breath. Close your eyes and tune into the rhythm of your breath, without trying to change how you’re breathing. Notice where you feel the breath in your body.
• In the breath focus technique, you imagine that the air you inhale brings something you want, like peace, love or wisdom. While you breathe, you mentally repeat: I am inhaling peace.

Breathing in a busy world

At Gorenje, we know that sometimes you feel you are living life on auto pilot. We know that you are chasing a toddler while simultaneously helping your older child with his homework. We know that you have a project due at work while you are simultaneously thinking about the dinner you still have to make.

And our products are here to help you catch your breath. Sit on the couch, breathe in and breathe out, Why not the entire dinner? With our oven BCS589S20X that allows preparation of up to five trays of dishes at once. Take a walk in the sun and tune in with your breathe, as our dryer DA83IL/I dries your laundry pile so they will be waiting for you fresh and soft, like it also enjoyed the sunshine together with you.

Life begins and ends with a breath. And in all the moments in between, we should try to take time for conscious breathing, so we can enjoy the simpler things in life. Because in the end, life is not measured by the numbers of breath we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.