Welcome to my new bi-monthly Letters;
‘Thoughts About Feelings’.
These letters will be in the same format and ‘essence of content’ as before,posted here every other month, and hopefully providing you with some relevant information and inspiration!
Enjoy!
Dear Friends,
I would like to share with you some thoughts about one of our most automatic functions and how profoundly it impacts our emotions and our behavior; – our breathing.
BREATHING MATTERS
We breathe all the time, yet natural breathing is not as easy as we think and getting it right (or wrong) can be critical for both our health and emotions. As many of you know, the way we breathe affects our emotions and the way we feel affects how we breathe – the two are inextricably linked. The earliest scientific study showing this, dates back as far as 1916 (Feleky, A. in The Journal of Experimental Psychology June 1916) and was based on research initiated in 1911 on the respiratory changes accompanying emotions such as pleasure, pain, anger, fear, disgust, wonder, laughter and hatred. From this and a multitude of other studies, we know that when we feel anxious, for example, our breathing is shallow and irregular, that when we are angry we exhale more forceful than we inhale; while when we feel sad we do the reverse - inhale more vigorously and exhale weakly. However, we also know that we need not be ‘victims’ of either our emotions or our breathing – rather we can use our awareness of the breath to regulate it, thereby in turn influencing our emotional state: using our breath to choose another emotional response!
Visiting a colleague and friend in Canada recently, I learned more about this matter of the breath and our feelings; Dr Robert Kissner who has been studying the relationship between breathing and emotions, has found that when emotions are chronic – i.e. we feel frequent anxiety on a regular basis, or we experience anger many times daily - they produce habitual patterns of breathing deregulation, patterns that can permanently affect our PH balance, immune system and overall health. Conversely, when more positive feelings are chosen on a regular basis (i.e. we feel the positive feelings, and don’t just think about them!), breathing patterns will also change and result in improvements such as increased blood flow to the brain, greatly improving problem solving abilities and creativity. The fact that this shift in habitual patterns can happen naturally by choosing different feelings, means it can also occur by teaching people about better breathing and the link between breathing and emotions.
Much of Dr Kissner's work has been with young people and addictions; an area which, in great measure, deals with physiology and emotions. He has found that cravings are linked to faster breathing and instant rewards, while slower breathing actually reduces cravings, expands our sense of time and creates a sense of future. A pertinent realization - especially at this time of year!
For all of us, so-called ‘over-breathing’ (faster, shallow breathing) results in loss of too much CO2 , and is all too common in our society as both negative emotions and any types of addictions deregulate breathing and introduce an imbalance of rate and depth. The resulting ‘superficial breathing’ ensures a superficial experience of ourselves and creates a disassociating from our emotions, thoughts and memories.
Powerful information that, if applied to daily life, can transform many of our experiences.
SKILL
Next time you notice you are feeling a craving – or you are irritable or feeling impatient – pay attention to your breathing. Are you ‘over-breathing’? Stand up if you can, and take a deep, slow breath filling up your lungs. (When we are seated, we constrict our breathing just by being in a seated position). Exhale slowly, making it just a tad longer than your inhalation. Repeat, two or three times. Count 4 counts as you inhale, 6 as you exhale. (You have time - this will take you no longer than eating a small piece of chocolate!)
Notice the effect and allow yourself to enjoy feeling better!
You may even want to make this a routine part of your ‘holiday cheer’ – for example, before every meal, before you start the car, before you turn on the TV or computer, and before retiring to bed.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING:
THE HUMAN FACE with John Cleese
Combining comedy sketches and serious interviews, this award winning BBC documentary gives us many brilliant insights into how we ‘read’ emotions in each other and how the way we express ourselves impacts our surroundings. Cleese is joined by celebrities such as Elizabeth Hurley and Michael Palin (to name but a few). Highly informative and entertaining!
NEWS:
I have been receiving quite a few requests from many of you for my new book BEING WHAT YOU WANT TO SE, which I greatly appreciate. Although the original release date was in October, there have been some delays with the publisher (not unheard of J) but I am assured it will be out before the Christmas if not the New Year. I will keep you posted – and thank you for your patience.
My warmest wishes to you all for a wonderful holiday season,
Jennifer Day
Personal coaching
If you have any questions or issues you’d like me to address, please do let me know by emailing me at jennifer@appliedemotionalmastery.com | 
