As we are in the midst of hot ED summer (that’s a thing now. I just decided.), I wanted to remind you to breathe.
I know, I know. That sounds so dumb, but check this out…
I just finished reading Breath: the New Science of a Lost Art and it turns out that our big brains have invaded our breathing space, making humans among the worst breathers of the animal kingdom.
What happens is when we breathe through our mouths instead of our noses, we stimulate our sympathetic nervous system and create physical stress (increased heart rate, muscle tension etc).
All this because of our little tiny human skulls and (increasingly) small jaws.
Poor mouth-breathing humans.
So, in the last few weeks of summer, take a second to slow down your breathing (to 5.5 breaths per minute to be precise), breathe through your nose and enjoy your life.
Remember: being stressed is a choice.
