Deep belly breathing

Smiling

Relaxing

Reading

Knitting

Long walks in the park

The list goes on…

We live in a world that gives us so many choices and information galore.  Have you ever stopped to think that sometimes, its best to just do nothing?  For a long time, I struggled with the fear that I would regret a decision based on not wanting to miss out on an experience.  Over time, I just realized that I was regretting the inability of allowing myself to just enjoy the moment and be present with whatever I choose to do.

The other day, I came home from work and I felt pretty anxious.  I am not sure what was bringing on the anxiety, but I recalled a technique that I learned during my studies at IIN called deep belly breathing.  It is supposed to help calm the nervous system and improve your mood.  I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it.

It is best to lie down on your bed or sofa so that you can focus on breathing deep into your belly.  You want to place your hands on your belly around or below your navel.  Below is a quick 2 minute video that explains the technique (sometimes a video is worth a thousand words!) 🙂

I did the recommended 15 times and it took less than 5 minutes.  I was amazed how much better I felt after I did this.  It dawned on me that no gadget, service, gizmo could have given me relief so quickly and this technique was dead simple, easy, quick and free.  Next time you are feeling a little anxious or stressed, give this quick 5 minute technique a try.  Let me know what you think!

***New fiber/knitting feature announcement!***

I have accumulated a lot of knitting tips and tricks along my journey in knitting.  I thought it would be fun to link to something fiber related at the end of each blog post.  My first one is an oldie but a goodie.  If you have knit with multiple colors before, or with a gradient kit, this tip is for you.  This can also be for joining new single color balls of yarn.  Check out the TECHknitters back join.  You will not be disappointed.