If you have ever flown on a commercial airplane, you have probably heard the flight attendants at the beginning of the flight talk about how to keep yourself safe in the event of an emergency. They demonstrate how to fasten your seat belt, how to exit the plane safely, and how your seat cushion doubles as a flotation device.
They tell you that in the event of an change in cabin pressure, an oxygen mask may drop down from above your head. They show you how to apply the mask, and they make sure that you understand you need to put your own oxygen mask on first, before helping anyone else.
The logic behind this is simple: If you pass out trying to help someone else because you didn’t put your mask on, then you aren’t able to help anyone else. Even worse, now someone else has to help you.
The “Oxygen Mask Theory” applies to everyday life on the ground as well. When we don’t take the time to take care of ourselves, we get run down, sick, stressed out, have mood swings, drink more than we should, and eat foods that we know aren’t good for us. And all of these things contribute to our feeling lousy, so we create a cycle of feeling more and more lousy, and being less and less effective. When we feel lousy, we aren’t able to do the things that we need to do to take care of the people that we care about.
I know that some of you are thinking that you have heard all this before, and you still have no idea how to fit this self-care stuff into your life. Sometimes it’s hard to just wrap your head around why you should take the time to take care of yourself at all.
Imagine that you have a pressure cooker inside you that holds all of your experiences, feelings, and emotions. Each time you ignore one of those experiences, feelings, and emotions and bury it inside you it adds a little more pressure. Not only that, but every time you add another experience, feeling, or emotion, it has the same effect of someone jumping onto your back while yelling in your ear. Those emotional states weigh you down and make it harder to move, harder to concentrate, and harder to get through the day.
If you do nothing, as you may have already learned, you either explode from the pressure, or crumble under the weight.
For just a moment, imagine each of those experiences, feelings, and emotions that you have stuffed away in the back of your mind as if they are packed away in boxes in closets. Because you haven’t addressed them or acknowledged them, they are all still fighting for your attention with intrusive negative thoughts, emotional outbursts, and by influencing your behaviors. Not only that, but the stress of carrying around that excess weight and baggage makes you feel tired all the time.
Now imagine that you can create a safe place where you are able to begin unpacking those boxes. As soon as you start that process, the chatter and turmoil in your head begins to quiet, and you are able to let go of the things that you don’t need anymore.
You become lighter, your mind becomes clearer, and because you aren’t trying to manage all that unnecessary stuff, everything else starts to get better too.
The Role of Hypnosis
Hypnosis helps you unpack your closets and attend to your unfinished business. Those unresolved feelings of resentment, regret, blame, anger, guilt, jealousy, hurt, and fear are stored in the mind and body. If these feelings are not processed and released, they can lead to depression, negative self-talk, self-defeating and sabotaging behaviors, and self-medication with drugs or alcohol.
Because hypnosis works directly in the subconscious mind where those memories are stored, you can release those things you are holding on to even if you don’t know what they are. Advanced hypnotic techniques allow you to address and resolve the unfinished business in your life without having to relive the traumatic events.
In the Meantime
One of the first things you can when you feel stress, pain, and even anxiety or fatigue, is to practice some simple Abdominal Breathing techniques. I have posted them before, but I’ll include them here as well.
How to Breathe
We all breathe, all day, every day. We don’t even think about it most of the time. The way you breathe does make a difference. Using your natural body mechanics, with just a couple deep breaths you can improve your mood, sharpen your thinking, relieve pain, and calm your nerves instantly.
Abdominal Breathing
To begin, sit in a comfortable upright position and push your stomach (abdominal) muscles out. Did you notice that you inhaled as you pushed those muscles out? Good. Now, do it again, but this time:
Inhale deeply, filling your lungs all the way up.
Hold that breath for just a second,
Then exhale slowly.
That is an abdominal breath.
Do that about three more times, and notice the difference in how you feel. You may notice that you feel a little calmer, your mind is a little clearer, and you may even be smiling. Also, notice that your body has started to relax. Your shoulders are probably coming down now as the tension melts away from your neck and back, and you continue to relax with each exhale.
It feels good to just take a minute and shift your focus to something other than the stress of the day, and just that pause is enough to improve the way you feel, but there is more to it than that. There is Science at work here.
When you push your stomach muscles out, your diaphragm drops down. The diaphragm is the muscle that separates your lungs from your abdomen. When your diaphragm drops, it pulls open the bases of your lungs, and allows them to fill completely with air.
When this happens, you are getting fresh air down to the tiny air sacs called alveoli that are located in the bases of your lungs. These air sacs get oxygen into your bloodstream and remove the carbon dioxide. Oxygen is the fuel that your body needs to live and function, and carbon dioxide is what’s left over when you use up oxygen. Think of carbon dioxide like the exhaust from your car.
More oxygen in your blood means more oxygen going to your brain. And more oxygen in your brain makes you feel sharper and think clearer. The rest of your body is getting this oxygen rush too, and the result is an energized feeling and a sense of increased wellness.
Another benefit from breathing with your abdomen is that this physical activity stimulates your Vagus nerve. Stimulating the Vagus nerve can reduce stress, anxiety, anger, and inflammation by releasing chemicals in your brain like Serotonin, Melatonin, and Dopamine.
This combination of feel-good chemicals, oxygen-rich blood, and the brief pause to focus on your breathing is a simple and profoundly powerful way to release stress, relieve pain, and improve the way you feel anytime, anywhere.
Techniques For Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing can be used on its own, or as a part of a structured relaxation exercise. Once you are comfortable using Abdominal Breathing, here are two more techniques you can use.
Square Breathing
Sit comfortably in a chair.
Straighten your back and lift your chin so that you are facing straight ahead.
Let your eyelids become heavy, and close your eyes when you feel ready to.
Using the method for abdominal breathing, inhale for a count of four..
Hold that breath for four seconds.
Open your mouth slightly and slowly exhale to a count of four.
Hold that exhale to another count of four.
Repeat this cycle four times.
Rinsing
Practice the rinsing technique for 10 minutes each day.
Follow the Square Breathing steps above. Complete all four sets.
Continue the same rhythm of breathing on a count of four, and allow your mind to start to wander.
Imagine a breeze blowing through your mind, or a gentle stream that carries your thoughts away as soon as you think them.
Each time a thought comes to mind, allow the breeze or water to rinse them away.
Allow yourself to enjoy this exercise for about ten minutes.
This exercise is about letting the mind wander without focusing on any of your thoughts.
Don’t get frustrated! You are learning a new skill, and you will get better at it with practice. Keep going - you’re doing great!
More on The Role of Hypnosis
Any time we shift our focus to directing our thoughts, we are practicing self hypnosis. Even in these breathing techniques, you are training your subconscious mind t react to stressful situations in a different way.
You have the ability to give yourself a suggestion and have your body believe you. You have so much more power over what you think and how you feel than you ever thought possible. Hypnosis is one of the most powerful and effective tools for unlocking that potential and the resources you already have.∎