Are you looking to make changes in your life to avoid the vicious cycle of stress, but not sure how? Do you struggle with managing negative feelings towards work, home life, personal relationships or even the simple everyday tasks of life, like going to the grocery store?

Here is a quick tip, rule # 1 for dealing with stress. Are you ready for it?! BREATH! Do it right now. Don’t laugh, just do it. BREATH! Do you feel better? Come on, you know you do.

This simple exercise can help an unbearable moment go from 10 to 1 in just a few seconds. Humans are programmed to use breathing to help cope with situations. As babies we take large deep breaths that fill up our bellies to help us remain relaxed or cope with the fact that our parents don’t know what the heck we want. As we get older, our bodies become so overwhelmed with the tasks in our daily lives that we simply forget to breathe! Adult bodies no longer take those long, calming, fill-your-belly-with-air types of breaths that help us to feel good inside.

Whenever you start feeling stressed, capture a short moment and take several long deep breaths. Close your eyes if you can, to further calm your body and mind. Don’t focus on anything else for a moment and just breathe. Having trouble finding a place to do this because there are just too many distractions surrounding you? How about excusing yourself to the bathroom? We all have to go the bathroom at some point, right? Or how about breathing before you get out of the car? Need a reminder to breathe? How about setting a reminder on your phone, scheduling it on your calendar or always taking a moment to breathe before you walk through a certain door?

The clarity a single breath can create is mind blowing! If we could bottle up the feeling a single deep breath can create and sell it, it would be the hottest selling drug on the market. The good news is that breathing is free and you have the opportunity to use it as a way to de-stress and bring you back to the present moment at any time, again and again!

“Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your troubles and you will find comfort and guidance.” – The Teaching of Buddhist Master