After going through an abusive situation and trying to get divorced your nervous system will be out of wack. When exposed to this level of continuous stress your nervous system ends up stuck in a state of fight or flight. This is not great for your body. A strategy you can use to reset your nervous system is called belly breathing.
How to do Belly Breathing
Belly Breathing is a technique used in a variety of yoga and meditation practices. It is a fairly easy technique that can be implemented anywhere. Here are the steps to a good session that can be completed in as little as 5 minutes.
- Find a place where you can be focused on your breathing.
- Put away all other distractions (such as your phone)
- Get in a comfortable position (sitting cross legged or lying down).
- Close your eyes and start paying attention to your breath.
- Take an inhale deeply into your belly through your nose. You should feel your belly rise up with air.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth. You will feel your belly start falling.
- Repeat several times
Why Is It Important?
As you go about repairing your nervous system it is important to take time to do this every day. This strategy will help to ground yourself in the present. It will also help your nervous system to get out of constant fight or flight mode. Please note that this strategy is not a fix all. Doing this alone may not change some of the symptoms you are experiencing.
However this strategy will help ease stress, ground you in the moment, improve your mood, and help you to focus on what you need to be focused on. I would recommend adding belly breathing nto your morning and night time routine. It would also be a great strategy if you get overwhelmed or start having a panic attack throughout the day. Breathing is important! As are you!