Breathe...

"Stay calm."

We keep hearing this edict but while it's easy enough to say it's actually really hard to do. Staying calm assumes one is already calm and that's not always the case. Right now we're inundated with information that is unsure, scary, and causes great worry and stress. So "staying calm" won't help. But there is one thing that will help you create calm and that is to take a breath. 

It's scientifically proven that breathing helps us relieve stress and improves our emotional state. In an article in Scientific American called "Proper Breathing Brings Better Health" the author shares that emotions rule the body. When we feel good, our body responds in positive ways. But when we feel stressed or scared our "breathing speeds up and becomes shallower. The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s various reactions to stress, is now activated."

The antidote? Breathing. Simple controlled breathing is the cure. By slowing and deepening your breaths you give your nervous system a rest. I know it works because I use breathing a lot in order to get grounded and to get out of my head. Here's what I do, it only takes one minute: 

• Take a seat in an upright chair, your feet on the ground.

• Feel your feet on the ground, your legs on the seat, let your shoulders drop.

• Take a breath. With that breath feel your belly against your waistband and loosen your guts. 

• Take another breath and loosen your fingers, your toes, your neck. 

• Take another breath and let your face relax.

• Take another breath and continue to let your body relax.

• Continue for one minute. 

I do this simple breathing exercise whenever I arrive early to a meeting, have a moment on the train, or am crunched in front of my computer; it really helps. So take a breath, get grounded and get back into your body. Your mind and body need just one moment to get back in sync. And that will go a long way in helping you to weather the storm and rally your team to move forward.