Sussanna Czeranko ND
Health Canada identifies the importance of learning how to cope with stress
in a healthy way to avoid the progression of anxiety and depression. How can
we bring a state of calm into our stressed out lives during these perilous times?
A little bit of stress is useful to help us be alert as we get our work done and
navigate through the complexities of our day. However, stress is not meant to be
the norm or so habitual that we forget how to relax and enjoy the simple
pleasures of life. Yet, we are finding that more often than not, our friends and
family are chronically stressed, burnt out and becoming vulnerable to sickness
and mental health issues.
Our bodies have an innate intelligence to heal under duress and untenable
circumstances. We may not be able to change the world around us, but we have
the ability to help our bodies choose health above the fears and anxiety that
surround us. The human response to stress or trauma is guided by our nervous
system that has a long history since our days living in the wild, running away
from predators lest we become their tasty dinner.
The secret to understanding stress and anxiety is to understand the
relationship between our breathing and our response to stress. Stress eventually
causes the part of our nervous system that is focused on survival to deal with
emergencies and be fully engaged. Stress initiates “fight and flight” responses
which change how we breathe, our heart rate and mental functions. At rest, the
breath is normally quiet and unnoticeable. However, during stress, the breath
speeds up imperceptibly and can lead to prolonged dysfunctional breathing
patterns that initiate a chain of reactions that ultimately lead to experiencing the
world through the lens of chronic anxiety and fear.
Dysfunctional breathing arising from stress has several presentations. The
breath is laboured, deep and loud; or it can be fast and imperceptible; or it can be
heard simply as sighs. Blood gases such as oxygen and chiefly carbon dioxide
determine our breathing rate and depth of breathing. They also regulate the
nervous system and energy production as well as aid our immune system. Low
carbon dioxide [or hypocapnia] levels in our blood are one of the overlooked
causes of anxiety and panic attacks.
One misconception is that the carbon dioxide that we exhale is simply a
waste gas. Nothing could be further from the truth. When carbon dioxide is lost
by excessive breathing, the body’s ability to utilize oxygen is impaired;
consequently, the tissues that rely upon the delivery of oxygen experience a
shortage, or hypoxia. In the brain, a shortage of oxygen is experienced as a
panic attack or anxiety. Just as we need oxygen to produce energy, carbon
dioxide is absolutely essential for the delivery of oxygen.
Chronic stress and the fight or flight syndrome cause changes in breathing
patterns that culminate in a state of fear, anxiety and poor health. The wisdom of
our body is the key to help harness the stress in our lives. Our breath is one of
the fastest ways of reversing and alleviating the anxiety that stress causes.
Quieting the breath helps to turn on the other branch of the nervous system,
the parasympathetic nervous system, which brings calm and makes possible the
state of rest and digestion. When we breathe quietly and slow our breath, the
parasympathetic nervous system engages calm. Another physiological aspect of
breathing is an important muscle called the diaphragm. Breathing
diaphragmatically is how we are meant to breathe and helps to activate the
parasympathetic nervous system.
We cannot, though, overlook the nose’s role in healthy breathing. Nasal
breathing warms, humidifies, and filters the air that we breathe into our lungs;
breathing with our nose ensures that we are breathing with the diaphragm.
To help regain calm during times of stress, there are several things that you
can do:
1. nasal breathing;
2. make your breathing quiet and gentle;
3. breathe with your diaphragm, and
4. be kind to yourself.
The work of Dr. Konstantin Buteyko [1924-2004] offers invaluable tools for
stress- related diseases and especially for the surge in anxiety and mental
despair that has become too familiar. The Buteyko breathing method has
several breathing exercises enabling people to use the breath to rapidly bring
calm and lower anxiety.
Take a breath and imagine that you are a baby again. Babies have an innate
intelligence when it comes to breathing. The next time you find yourself out of
breath, panicked, or anxious of the future during these times, your symptoms are
not imaginary but very real. Simply take a gentle breath with your hand on your
belly and feel the diaphragm move out as you inhale. The breath is one of our
most powerful tools to regain calm and our sense of well-being.