6/14/2024

  6/14/2024 - Dragonfly Occult & Curiosities Shop - Blog

It's Friday, Friday....gotta get down on Friday!

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Have the best one ever!! 💙

Quote of the Day: “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”

Daily Affirmation:

Image of the Day:

Today's Learning:

Breathing Techniques For Anxiety


1. Belly Breathing or Diaphragmatic Breathing

Breathing too shallowly can restrict the diaphragm's range of motion, which can cause dyspnea or anxiety. In addition to making you feel tense and apprehensive, shallow breathing can cause your nervous system to go into "fight or flight" mode.

Here’s how to practice diaphragmatic breathing, according to stress and insomnia specialist Julia Kogan:

Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. Imagine that your stomach is a balloon that you are filling by extending it and gently deflating by squeezing the muscles in your abdomen.

Inhale slowly through your nose for two counts. As you breathe in, your stomach should rise. The inhalation ought to be gentle and calm. Instead of taking everything in on the first count, picture filling your nostrils over the slow count of two.

Breathe out three slow breaths, even more slowly than before. (Pursing your lips may help.) As you do so, you should feel the balloon in your stomach deflating. The hand that is on your chest should stay largely still.

"After gaining comfort with this exercise, the individual can gradually extend the duration of their inhale and exhale," advises Kogan. "Even those with various medical issues that may cause difficulty breathing can benefit from starting with a two-second inhale and a three-second exhale,” the expert advises.


2. The Humming Breath

Sattar, whose book Breathe covers 33 breathing techniques, recommends the humming breath for anxiety.

“The humming breath, or bhramari pranayama, is a technique that combines breath and vibration to ease tension in the body and mind,” she says. "The breath itself activates the parasympathetic nervous system and tones the vagus nerve, while the vibrations within this practice help recalibrate what's overactive in the body." Any time of day is an excellent time to practice it.

According to Sattar, here's how to practice the humming breath:

Sit comfortably or maintain a straight back while standing.

Inhale deeply through your nose for a minimum of five seconds.

Shut your mouth and hum until you run out of air, mimicking the sound of "hmm."

Repeat five to seven times.


3. Pursed Lips Breathing

Pursed lip breathing calms you down and increases the amount of oxygen in your lungs, giving you more control over your breathing when you're out of breath.

The American Lung Association offers the following instructions for practicing pursed lip breathing:

Inhale using your nostrils.

Breathe out with pursed lips as if you were going to blow out a candle. Make an effort to exhale more slowly than you inhaled.

Five to ten repetitions should be done; if you start to feel dizzy, stop.


4. Breathing in 4-7-8

This exercise can help instantly relax your nervous system. It was developed by Andrew Weil, M.D., the founder and head of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. This exercise can be performed in a sitting or a lying position.

Dr. Weil suggests practicing 4-7-8 breathing as follows:

Grasp your tummy with one hand and your chest with the other.

Breathe out slowly and deeply from your abdomen and count to four.

Breathe in for seven counts.

Let out a breath for eight counts. By the time you reach the number eight, try to exhale completely.

Up till you feel at ease, repeat three to seven times.

Before continuing with your day, take a few minutes to sit and become aware of your body's and mind's experiences.

Positive News of the Day:

Teen girl’s joy at getting a rare party invite goes viral: ‘We all want to feel like we belong.’

Read more about it here --->   Click Here to Read!

Crystal of the Day:

Thought of the Day: If you have the chance to make people happy, just do it. Sometimes people are struggling silently. Maybe, your act of kindness can make their day! 

Did you know?

Identical twins don’t have the same fingerprints. 😱😱

You can’t blame your crimes on your twin, after all. This is because environmental factors during development in the womb (umbilical cord length, position in the womb, and the rate of finger growth) impact your fingerprint. 

Laugh of the Day:

With love and light,

Megan

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