Joanne Smith explains how shallow breathing signals danger to your body, while slow belly breathing signals safety. She also covers mental self-care: speak kindly to yourself, replace self-criticism with affirmations, and take guilt-free breaks and naps.
Notice the difference between shallow breathing, because shallow breathing is what we do when we're stressing. It's like a hyperventilation kind of breathing. So slow, deep breathing where you really fill the belly. You feel the— you'll feel the belly rise and fall, like when you, you know, you— that's like signaling there's no danger, there's no threat, everything's good. Okay. Let me think. Speaking kindly to yourself, treating yourself like you are your own best friend, rather than being critical on yourself, oh, you're doing rubbish, you're never gonna get through this, this is never gonna go, I'm stuck here forever. It's gonna be more, I can overcome challenges, this is temporary. So yeah, being kind To yourself is really important, um, because there's no race here. So taking a break, taking a rest without feeling guilty, instant sign of Jo's good. She's just gonna go and take a nap, and it's not a bad thing.
