Ways to reduce stress:

• Learning to say no
• Handing tasks to somebody else
• Setting your priorities
• Exercising
• Healthy diet
• Relaxation exercises; Example: Breathing

Focusing on your breathing is an effective and fast method to increase concentration and well-being, lower blood pressure, reduce the heart rate and relieve tension or headaches.

4 Types of Breathing:

1. Belly Breathing: Place your hands on your belly, take a deep breath through your nose and inhale into your belly.
2. Side Breathing: Place your hands on the sides of your ribs, inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Concentrate on how your ribs rise and fall.
3. Chest Breathing: Place your hands under your collarbones, inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Concentrate the rise and fall of the chest.
4. Back Breathing: Bend your upper body forward and consciously breathe slowly in and out into your back.

Different Breathing Patterns:

4 - 7 - 8 Breathing Pattern:

Here, the breathing frequency should be reduced.

Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 7 seconds and then exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds.

Alternating Breathing Pattern:

Here, the left and right hemispheres of the brain are connected to balance your energy.

To use this technique, inhale and exhale alternately through your left and right nostrils. One nostril is always held closed with one finger.

Hold the left nostril closed with your hand and inhale through the right nostril. Then, close the right nostril with your hand, and open the left again, and exhale through the left nostril. Inhale through the left again, and close this nostril, and open the right again, and exhale through the right again.