Cook & Chef Well-being
Take a breather, or as many as you need
For us, its one of the main tools for easing, halting, and nullifying the effects of anxiety when faced with threats. Threats that on occasion are unreal and unfounded, or learned fears that limit us within different environments such as work, social, family or sport. Fears that gain ground and paralyze you as if they were a real danger of life or death. They limit your everyday life, create unsustainable situations, both physically and mentally, eating away at your wellbeing and quality of life.
n order to support all these emotions, it is fundamental to know how to breathe, and to know techniques to change your breathing. By doing this, from the balance created and transmitted, you can create other thoughts and behaviours. from your body and your relationship to it.
Here are some techniques that I hope will help you:
1. 4-7 breathing
This type of breathing can be done standing, seated or lying down. Without raising the shoulders, breathe in slowly and gently for a count of 4, hold for a moment and slowly breathe out for a count of 7. Feel your breath, without listening to it, for at least two minutes.
2. 4-7-8 or 3-3-6 breathing
This technique was developed by Dr Andrew Weil, Director of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Among other things, it is useful for getting to sleep and it is sufficient to do it twice a day. If you observe it, the time for breathing out should be double that of breathing in. Sit down with your back supported and with your spine upright. Close your mouth, inhale through the nose counting to 4, hold the breath for a count of 7 seconds and release all the air making a strong sound for 8 seconds. The 3-3-6 ratio is carried out in the same way. Try it and decide. Another option is 3-2-3.
3. Don’t blow out the candle
Inhale all the air that you can into your lungs, hold for 5 seconds, and gently breathe out through your mouth, keeping it almost closed, imagining you have a candle in front of you and that you must not blow it out. At first, you can do this by lighting a candle. The image will remain in your brain and you will have it in your memory. In this way, you can control the out breath even more.
4. The sigh
It is known that sighing brings relief. While standing or seated, fill your lungs to their maximum capacity. Hold for two seconds and then breathe out as a sigh, accompanied by the sound of relief. Repeat about ten times.