Feeling Stress? Try practicing these helpful breathing techniques. #SelfCareASL ID+ Transcript (Bright green and Blue text across a black background) Breathing for Stress Reduction written by Kim Grebert. Interpreted and presented by Fatime Silvestre Fatima, a CDI with short brown hair and a kelly green shirt is sitting on a stool in front of a black backdrop. There are spiraling green and blue mandalas that become brighter when she demonstrates the breathing techniques. FATIMA: Stress! Who doesn’t have stress right now with Covid- having to Wear masks, keeping social distance, health concerns, all the challenges with work and school—we’re all overwhelmed. It’s a stressful time! We’re used to regular stress, but too much stress is not good. It affects us physically, emotionally, and mentally. Physically, we can have muscle tension, upset stomachs, headaches, sleep problems, we feel tired and more. Emotionally it can make us anxious, agitated, depressed, sad, or lonely. Mentally it can make it hard to focus, makes us forgetful, and can cause us to be easily overwhelmed. One way to manage stress is by paying attention to your breathing. Right now, notice how the cool air feels as you breathe in through your nose, down into your lungs, and out again. Let’s try it again. Do your chest and shoulders move as you breathe? Is it easy or hard to do? Be aware that you’re breathing. Let’s take a few more breaths. Ahhhhh. Have you heard of “deep breathing”? It uses your belly to bring more air into your lungs and body. Watch how deep breathing makes your belly rise. Medical research shows that deep breathing lowers blood pressure, improves sleep, eases headaches, and helps clear the head, discharge toxins from the body, and helps with a variety of stress related health issues. Besides, it just feels great to do! If you have any breathing problems, do check with your doctor before doing this. Okay! Let’s try it together. Right now, if you’re sitting, keep your back straight and your feet flat on the floor. Relax your eyes. Place your dominant hand on your chest and your non-dominant hand on your belly. Take a regular breath. Now take a slow, deep breath. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Pay attention as your belly swells up under your hand. Again, breathe and hold your breath, for a second or two. And slowly breathe out. Do this a few times. Inhale, pause, exhale. Now we will do some deep breathing together. As you breathe, imagine the air you’re breathing is spreading relaxation and calmness throughout your body. As you exhale, imagine that your breath is pushing out stress and tension. If you have trouble bringing the air into your belly, try lying down. Put a book on your belly and use your breath to make it go up and down. Thank you so much. Be safe, and remember to breeeeathe. ***