Take a deep breath..

Here's a great article from Joel Marion (a fitness expert) about breathing techniques that can be used to calm our selves in stressful situations. Enjoy ;)

Yesterday I was having one of those days. You know, the type of day where everything seems to be out of whack and a hundred inconveniences seem to jump out of nowhere.

We all have them. They’re part of life.

The icing on the cake, though, came later in the day when I got a flat tire.

And of course it was rush hour.

And of course it was on a major highway.

So there I was on the side of the road, annoyed, attempting to change my tire in the midst of hundreds of cars whizzing by me at 70 mph.

And then I realized something.

I was letting the day’s circumstances−circumstances that were completely out of my control−get the best of me. It was affecting my energy, and that’s something that I really try to avoid.

So, I put down the tire iron, got back in the car, turned on the radio and started to breathe.

You see, a long time ago I learned the value of using controlled breathing from a martial arts instructor friend of mine. Now, you may be thinking “Yeah, okay…controlled breathing…Tai Qui…oogly moogly” and you know what, that’s exactly how I looked at it once, too.

But then I gave it a try. And it works.

The fact is, controlled breathing exercises are an extremely useful tool for managing stress and renewing focus. And in just a minute, I want to share with you one relaxation breathing exercise that has been clinically proven to reduce stress and sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity. In fact, almost immediately after you begin to breathe like this, the body begins to calm itself. Heart rate slows, anxiety decreases, and you can just “feel” the effects.

Here it is:

The 4-7-8 technique:

• Exhale completely through your mouth.
• Breathe in completely through your nose over a period of 4 seconds.
• Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
• Exhale completely through your mouth for a period of 8 seconds.

Repeat the exercise three more times for a total of 4 breaths.

Try it now for proof. See how it makes you feel. I can guarantee if you do, you’ll use it again…especially when you need it most.

And in a couple minutes I was back out working on the tire, only with a completely different attitude.

Don’t let circumstances out of your control dictate your energy. And if you sense they might be, take some time to breathe.

Stay focused,

Joel

Another life's lesson...

Phew! The past couple of months have been hectic. Work pressures abound and is taking away much of my precious, precious time. There are days when the thought of quitting my job enters my mind. But at this very moment, quitting is not an option. The Lord gives me this job for a reason. I have to hang tough. His love is what strengthen me to move on with my hectic life.

2 weeks ago my fiancee and I drove back to her home town in Keningau. It was quite late and its getting dark. But having complete trust in the Lord, we continued with the 1 hour 45 minutes journey. The trip to Keningau via the Kimanis route are hilly with slopes ranging from 10% to 12%. The journey went on smoothly until we reached the last hill. As we descend down the hill, I thought I heard something snapped. But nothing happened. So we move on and reached home soon after. As I drove into the house compound, I tried to change my gear shift to Reverse. To my astonishment, the gear did not shift. And the realisation hit me. The snapping sound must've been that of my gear cable. As frustrated I am with the sudden realisation, I am grateful that we managed to reach home safe and sound. So I left my car where it was, turned off the ignition and headed into the house.

Fast forward to mid-nite, the sound of car crashing woken me up. I looked through the living room window but saw nothing. Without giving it a second thought, I return to the couch and resume sleeping. Suddenly there's a sound of the gate being crashed and..... !BAM! .... another crashing sound... followed by the sound my car's alarm. I jumped up from the couch and quickly ran out of the door. I can't believe what I saw. My car was hit by a pick-up truck drove by some drunken guy. Man! When I thought my day couldn't get any worse, there I am standing in front of my wrecked car staring at the drunken driver's eyes. Fast forward to today, the workshop told me that my car would be ready by Sunday. The drunken guy has agreed to pay for the cost of repair (minus the gear cable of course).

The biggest thing that I've learned in that fateful trip back is to always be grateful to the Lord in whatever circumstances. It's always easy to say thanks to the Almighty when we are happy. But the ultimate test of character is to be able to say thanks in the face of calamity. I am truly grateful that God has chosen me to be where I am now. He showed me that life is not always comfortable. What matters is our perspective; we either choose to let the circumstance to get the better of us or we can choose to smile and be grateful for the opportunity to learn another life's lesson from the Creator.