Physical Stress and Breathing

Is there tension and stress in your physical body? Do you have tight shoulders and neck muscles? Do you struggle to catch your breath? While I love working as a sofer, my body can often be locked in the same position for long periods of time. These positions are not particularly healthy ones, so I need to have small exercise breaks inserted into my work day. Perhaps you are like me in that you tend to initate your breathing from your upper body. For years when I wasn’t able to catch my breath, I would become ever so slightly stressed out, as I would try to get a good breath of air. Now I understand a very important rule about stress. You can’t fight stress with stress. When I’m not getting enough air, instead of fighting it, I relax for two, three or four breaths. Almost always that gets me back on track. How do I do it? I really relax my breathing, allowing my body to breath at it’s own pace. I don’t force it. I just let it happen. I also try to completely relax my upper body, as the muscles that control breathing are not upper body muscles. It’s the tension in those upper body muscles that keep me from breathing. If you have shortness of  breath and want to work on your breathing I recommend The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi and published by St. Martin’s Griffin. If your problem is a result of tension and stress, this book will help you make great strides towards easy, struggle-free breathing.