If you're reading this, I can tell, without a doubt, two things about you. The first is that at some point in your life, you have gotten angry, upset or stressed. During these times, you feel as though you are flung into a situation you were not prepared for and because of that. you're now struggling to find a way to get out of this frustrating situation. This is extremely common in the culture we live in. There is a huge market in our world today for the best way to help someone relax. There are products you can get, doctors you can see and tips all over the world to help you find your happy place when you overload during your day. Take a moment and think of a time that you just felt overwhelmed or angry.
Keep that situation in your head for a minute. Most of us probably have just thought of something that has happened recently that sent us over the edge, but we know that it isn’t just a one-and-done thing. We're constantly getting ourselves into a place where we feel out of control. Think to your situation again. What helped you calm down? Most people just answer, "I only needed a minute to cool off," or "I just needed time to think through my situation." Both of those answers come from the same underlying solution, which brings me back to the second thing I know about you, without a doubt. You are breathing! Right now, you are allowing oxygen to flow through your air way and into your lungs.
Breathing is the best thing for someone when they hit that point in their day where they feel like they're going to explode. God built us with our own cool-down system. As a college student, there are many days when I'm overwhelmed and stressed over homework, classes or the hours I have to be in for work. We all face trials throughout our lives where we feel overwhelmed, and we're supposed to, but we have also been given minds that are capable of working through any problem. When someone says "I needed time to think" or "I needed a minute to cool off," it comes from needing time to breathe. Your mind needs oxygen to function at a capacity where it can process information.
Studies have shown that the higher your blood pressure rises, the more oxygen your body needs to process incoming information. This all comes back to breathing. If you're not taking time to slow down and breathe, you're disabling your best tool for dealing with the problem. Your mind is powerful, and God allowed us to have intelligent minds so that we can think through problems and find solutions.
If you are stumbling around, angry or irritated, just remember the best thing you can do for yourself is take in a deep breath. Taking a breath causes your mind to feed on oxygen, and just hos your body can't function without food, your mind can't function without oxygen. So the next time you get angry or stressed or overwhelmed, just breathe. Know that when you do, everything will get easier to process. It's the one, guaranteed cure to a stressed out day. Go outside and get an oxygen-enriched breath, and you'll feel better.
