Pay Attention to Your Breathing Patterns
Our breathing patterns are often subconscious. When we are stressed, we anticipate something negative. Then our bodies go into fight or flight mode. Our breathing pattern changes. But this is not healthy to stay in that mode. We need to be conscious of when this happens. We need to learn how to go back to a healthy breathing pattern.
As Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), we often run into situations that are unfamiliar or even uncomfortable. Are you letting yourself get stressed and stay stressed? Or, are you calmly working your way through those situations? Your breathing pattern is a good indicator of whether you go into stress mode and how long you stay there.
Our Original Breathing Pattern
Watch a healthy baby sleeping. This is the natural pattern of breathing that we are born with. This is the breathing pattern that we need to keep. But most of us don’t.
The baby breathes slowly through their nose. They breathe deep. Their stomach expands gently when they take a breath. When they exhale, their stomach gently contracts. Watching a baby sleeping is also a stress reliever. But as we get older, our breathing patterns could change.
Fight or Flight Breathing Pattern
When under stress, we do the opposite. We take short shallow breaths. In some instances, we hold our breath during certain activities or when expecting something potentially stressful. Or we may be anticipating a need for a burst of strength. This is known as the fight or flight response.
But how often does this happen? Are you doing this once in a while? Or, has fight or flight breathing become your normal breathing pattern? Is your body constantly in stress mode?
Check Your Breathing Patterns
Observe yourself throughout the day. Are you chest-breathing or stomach-breathing? Are your breaths long and slow? Or is your breathing short and shallow? How often do you hold your breath?
Identify the situations or triggers that make your breathing shallow or causes you to hold your breath. When are you doing it? Do you hold your breath when you are doing a physical activity like working out? How about when you interact with certain HCNs? Do you feel rising stress levels when it is 5 minutes past the scheduled meeting time but you are the only person there? Some people hold their breath during screen time. Is this you too?
Learn to recognize those your fight or flight moments. Then consciously adjust your breathing pattern before or during those moments. It should help you stay calm(er).
Time to Take a Breath
Stand up. Don’t hunch. Close your eyes if it helps you concentrate better. Inhale through your nose over while slowly counting to four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds. Then slowly exhale to a four second count.
Make sure your stomach is gently expanding when you breathe in. This gives your lungs more room. Then make sure to pull your stomach in when you breathe out. This helps compress your lungs to exhale.
Push other thoughts out of your mind. Keep other parts of your body still. Repeat as many times as you need. You will know how many.
As you become more adjusted to the original natural way of breathing, slowly increase the number of seconds at each step without straining. Do this as often as you can throughout the day even if you are not feeling stressed. But you might be surprised at how often you are without knowing it.
Navigating Service Through Breath Control
Peace Corps service is not as easy as some people think. Being in unfamiliar environments can be stressful. You may have trouble navigating the culture. Your expectations are not met. Why are you there?
Don’t let little things get to you. Breathe through it. Pay attention to your breathing patterns. They tell you a lot. Controlling your breathing patterns help control your stress level. Learn as many ways as you can to bring your stress level down. You will enjoy your Peace Corps service so much more!
If you have other coping mechanisms to de-stress during service, share them!