Pooped at Work?

It’s not unusual to feel pooped at work. If, however, you feel chronically tired then it’s time to request lab work to monitor your thyroid, blood sugar, white count, medications, etc.

Next eliminate the backlash from too much caffeine, too much sugar, too many carbs and too much lunch.

The further humans stray from Nature’s design, the more they encumber their performance and endurance. Your car is designed with guidelines for size and inflation of tires, type of fuel, weight of oil. When you ignore basic design requirements, your car may continue to move but you will not come close to peak performance.

The human body has been evolving, changing, adapting for tens of thousands of years but Nature makes changes very slowly. However, the demands placed upon you have changed dramatically within just a few decades!

You are faced hourly with corporate challenges while still functioning within a hunter/gatherer body. Since few of us are willing to return to foraging for food and herding goats, the next best thing is to compensate for the dramatic changes. Use your considerable IQ and experience to design a behavior plan that stays as close to your original design.

1. You are designed to MOVE. You are not designed to sit in a chair.
2. Your eyes are designed to move all around and change depth of focus often.
3. You are designed to breathe deeply, efficiently and steadily.
4. Your bones were fashioned to balance one atop the other without giving your muscles unnecessary work.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Frequent Breaks

When you spend a big chunk of your day at the computer, you will be scrunched, crunched, twisted and compressed before the day is half gone. The mounting compression of sitting (usually badly) messes with your body, your energy and your breathing.

I trust that your chair, equipment, light and desk are all ergonomically correct. Unfortunately that isn’t enough.

During the hundreds of thousands of years when our bodies were adapting and evolving, there were no chairs. Since you were never intended to sit at all, at least change and check your position often. Set your computer or watch alarm to signal periodically that it is time to stand up, stretch and take a few deep breaths. There are some interesting studies that indicate that your brain resets itself to a sharper mode when you take a quick break at least once every 40 minutes.

The longer you sit, the more you shallow breathe, leaving your body and brain sluggish. The delicate nerves and arteries of your neck are compressed by the considerably heavy weight of your off-balance head.

Remember that you need an aligned and balanced ribcage for efficient breathing. Try pressing your elbows against the chair back and reach toward the ceiling with the top of your head. Or, hunch your shoulders upward, push them back and pull them down. Notice how your breathing improves.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Coping With Predictable Stress: Rehearse and Anchor

Rehearse and Anchor is a deceptively simple yet powerful exercise that will serve you well for the rest of your life. For those scheduled, potentially stressful events such as colonoscopies, wedding toasts (I don’t mean to equate those two), job interviews, ski jumps, birds-and-bees discussions with your kids (I don’t mean to equate those either) – VISUALIZE AND BREATHE.

Since we are dealing with a predictable scheduled situation here, you have plenty of time to rehearse in advance. The time just before you drift off to sleep is an especially powerful time to set new paths in the brain. Like any other practice, the more you rehearse, the better.

See yourself moving through the event easily IN GREAT DETAIL. As you visualize, keep your entire body completely relaxed and your breathing deep and slow and steady. Don’t be concerned if the details you imagine turn out to be slightly different when the time comes. You will have mapped the ideal response into your brain and that will serve you well. The steady breathing is essential because it carries the positive images into your neuromuscular memory.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Link: Hill and Valley Breathing

Finding Your Center

And where exactly is your center and why should you care? YOUR CENTER IS THAT EXACT POINT WHERE YOUR MIND, YOUR BODY AND YOUR SPIRIT ARE IN PERFECT BALANCE. Even though your center is invisible, you have probably sensed it from time to time. We often read about star athletes who describe having been “in the zone” when they did something extraordinary. Amazing things happen when you are “in the zone.”

It is understandable that, as the day wears on, we become fragmented – the intellect is wrestling with monster problems at the computer while the neglected body slumps over the keyboard like a big bag of beans. The spirit and the body are often forgotten completely. Fortunately you have the power to quickly center yourself at will. Remember that your breathing bridges the mind, the body and the spirit. Easy access.

Mother Nature wouldn’t have made this centering process difficult since it is essential for your well-being and personal growth. FREQUENTLY during your busy day, straighten your spine, relax your shoulders and your jaws, close your eyes, breathe out the stale air and take four or five very slow and very deep breaths. Nothing fancy.

A pitcher holds more cream if the pitcher is all in one piece instead of broken fragments scattered across the floor. You will be so much more efficient, effective and comfortable if you take a few minutes to pull all parts of you together.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Upgrade Your Phone Tone

Tone trumps content. The way you sound hits a listener’s brain first and only then do they process with what you say. Perhaps our primitive ancestors didn’t have the luxury of the lengthy chat but had only a split-second to evaluate the mood and intent of a potential adversary. Since the era of the caveman, communication has evolved into a powerful and beautiful tool but the old split-second analysis is still with us and perhaps for good reason.

Obviously, if you work the phones professionally, it is absolutely essential that your phone presence be outstanding. You may be the only direct contact a client will ever have with your company. How you sound affects how much the client/customer trusts you, likes you and is willing to listen to you.

Even when you speak to your mom, your neighbor or your banker, tone matters! Everyone has to get past your sound before they will open up to your brilliant content. Remember that speech is only as good as the breathing that supports it.

1. NEVER rush to answer the phone and always take your time with your greeting.
2. BEFORE you respond, EXHALE as much air as is comfortable.
3. Take in a SLOW deep breath and answer.
4. Keep your chin tilted slightly upward.
5. Use an old radio announcer’s trick and smile a little while you are talking.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: True Voice

True Voice

We work up so much tension in our tiny visual and speech muscles that eventually the feeling of tension becomes the norm. Haven’t you caught sight of your face in the mirror and been surprised at the grimace? This frequent frown can come from something as simple as harsh light or high-decibel noise or your need for new glasses or a hearing aid. Or the frown may be an involuntary physical expression of intense concentration or concern.

Tension in these small and complicated muscles interferes with your breathing and, therefore, the quality of your voice.

1. Say your first name aloud several times and memorize the sound.
2. Then, relax your tongue as if it were asleep on the floor of your mouth.
3. Let go of any abdominal tension and loosen the “drawstring” muscles that circle your mouth.
4. For several breaths just concentrate on the slow steady “tide” of your breathing.
5. Inhale slowly and deeply and then as you exhale, say your name aloud again. Note the change in the quality of your voice.

Be well. Breathe (and speak) beautifully.

Faster Isn’t Always Better

When you are trotting on the treadmill or sweating through a tennis match, your heart rate and breathing will accelerate to deliver the necessary oxygen to your hungry muscles and to dump the mounting burden of carbon dioxide. Your body will respond automatically to the increased physical demands by ramping up your heart and lungs. This is, of course, a good thing.

Unfortunately, strong emotions (especially those you can’t act upon) can also speed up breathing and heart rate even when you don’t actually need extra oxygen. Even an imagined threat can overheat your engine.

FAST breathing often means SHALLOW breathing. Shallow breathing is INEFFICIENT. Remember that the top of your lungs are small, narrow and locked in by unyielding ribs and muscles. Ideally, you fill the top of your chest AFTER the lower more elastic lungs are full. Even when you are running, breathing ONLY into your upper lungs generates tension and gives you a very poor return for the energy invested.

When we are nervous, impatient, angry or apprehensive, it is critical that we stay calm, centered, and relaxed. Next time your emotions try to bully your breathing, exhale and shift to low, slow and deep breathing. Your mind will be clearer, your voice deeper and your demeanor more self-assured.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Deep Breathing – When?

When you sleep, you breathe deeply, slowly and beautifully. Once you awaken and you are slammed by your hectic day, your breathing begins to creep uphill into the narrow, rigid and tight upper ribcage. By dinner the stress of your day is written all over your upper body - clenched jaws, hunched shoulders, tight neck muscles and shallow erratic breathing.

Shallow inhibited breathing changes the cadence, tone, pitch or your voice and people do react subconsciously to the quality of your voice. As the day progresses, you are working harder and harder for less and less oxygen and your blood is burdened with spent fuel. It is important to break this tension cycle.

Deep slow breathing gives you maximum oxygen and cleansing power for minimal energy expended. Stop frequently, close your eyes, relax your shoulders and your jaws and lower your breathing into your lower elastic ribcage. All systems will relax automatically. It takes only a few breaths to re-boot your machine.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Coping with Unscheduled Stress: First Response

A stressful event pops up like a shark in your guppy tank without any advanced warning. It is possible, however, to practice in advance how to best handle this “shark” so that you handle the situation as well as humanly possible.

Remember that THE WORSE THE SITUATION IS, THE MORE IMPORTANT YOUR BREATHING BECOMES. Repeat after me! THE WORSE THE SITUATION IS, THE MORE IMPORTANT YOUR BREATHING BECOMES. This is not the time for you to be holding your breath or shallow breathing. Practice First Response until you can react without thinking, without hesitation, as if you were handling your car in a skid. Your body may not have time to phone your brain for instructions.

First Response

1. In the first split-second of a real or perceived crisis (physical, emotional or intellectual) immediately BREATHE OUT. Release as much air as is comfortable. Relax your shoulder as you exhale, letting go of all surface tension. When you grab a big gulp of air without exhaling first, you force the incoming air down on top of stale air, air that was already used up and waiting to be exhaled which leaves you with an expanded chest but not enough oxygen.
2. After that first release, assume normal slow and deep breathing. You are focused. You are clear. You are ready. Remember that your breathing bridges mind, body and spirit so it is a quick way to pull yourself together in a hurry.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Breathing and Creativity

Every child is born an artist. You are an artist. When children are too young and inexperienced to question, they get the message that creativity is some mysterious gift, granted only to a chosen few and certainly not to them! Certainly not to you.

So you probably were ashamed and put away your crayons and never tried again. I will throw up if you say one word about “drawing a straight line.”

Creativity is simply the expression, the language of your unconscious mind, your best and timeless self. Your creative efforts provide insight into your spirit and give you the chance to share that insight. Critical praise and profit are completely separate issues! Praise and profit (or lack of it) should never be permitted to obstruct your imagination and creativity.

When you are next tempted or inspired to sing or dance or paint or write or draw or blow glass or weave blankets or decorate cakes, BREATHE YOUR WAY THROUGH IT. CONSTANTLY AND EVENLY AND DEEPLY AND STEADILY AND QUIETLY – ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT. You have nothing to lose and lots to gain.

Your PROJECT is not nearly as important as your PROCESS. That’s the fun. That’s the joy. Someone old and wise said, “The light is within you. Let the light shine.”

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Increase Energy and Productivity

Your supervisor should admonish you for spending long UNINTERRUPTED hours with your
nose to the grindstone. That outdated work model is based on factory production and actually DECREASES your effectiveness in today’s information and service market.

Your employer would be better served if you followed a work pattern BASED ON THE WAY YOUR BODY AND BRAIN FUNCTION. Uneducated mill workers in the 1800s (mostly young women and children) were pushed until they dropped and were considered disposable cogs in the factory machine.

Today you are an educated, trained, motivated employee with the luxury of self-awareness. You are NOT disposable!

• Neurologists seem to agree that every brain needs to be “reset” every 20 – 40 minutes to maintain peak performance. “Reset” can occur with a quick change of venue, like walking to the window or down the hall. Set an alarm to remind yourself.
• To stay fresh, mentally and physically, you need to maintain a reasonable flow of oxygen and you must keep the bloodstream clear of the body’s spent fuel. Sitting too long results in shallow inefficient breathing. You grow tired and fuzzy-brained way too soon. Take frequent deep breaths.
• Hunched posture distorts your spine (especially your neck) and compresses your lungs. Stand up often, stretch and reposition your body correctly. Never rest your seated body on your tailbone. Keep your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders in line with your hipbones.
• Your eyes are NOT designed for a single focus at a set distance. Look away from the monitor frequently to a point in the far distance, then middle distance.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Three Hearts

If the primary job of your heart is to move blood into and out of every nook and cranny of your body, then let’s consider that there are two additional “hearts” that share in that duty. Your blood delivers oxygen (food) and carts away spent fuel (garbage). We can’t survive more than a few moments without the former and can’t tolerate much build-up of the latter. For efficient movement we need a foolproof 24/7 pumping system.

The primary heart is, of course, the one behind and slightly left of your breastbone. Number two is the diaphragm – that powerful muscular floor of your ribcage that domes up when you exhale and flattens down when you take air in. The diaphragm behaves with a syringe-type movement that not only moves air in and out but also presses down on major organs and guts when you inhale, helping to push the blood along. Number three is the collection of big powerful thigh muscles that squeeze and release.

All three hearts must be strong and busy. You may be a jock but when you sit at the desk for too many hours or are stuck in a plane for a long flight, your two secondary hearts shut down almost completely! Your primary heart is left with all the work. GET UP OFTEN. Give your primary heart an assist by taking a few really deep slow breaths and by pumping those leg muscles often.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Kiss Shy Goodbye. Well, Almost.

Someone said that shyness is the result of focusing too much attention on oneself. The trick is to break the old cycle of nervous anticipation and response. Remember that your breathing is your guardian angel and is ALWAYS there for you.

IN ADVANCE OF SHY-TIME, DROP YOUR BREATHING INTO YOUR LOWER LUNGS AND SLOW IT DOWN.

Decide ahead of time that you will hold onto that breathing speed and placement NO MATTER WHAT. Nothing to lose here! You can always return to palm sweating pulse-pounding misery if the breathing focus doesn’t work. No matter how awkward things may get, never once lose your focus on your breathing.

You (yes, you) have the capability of bringing light, laughter, joy and serenity to any space or any group. You may be shy because somewhere, sometime a long time ago, someone accidentally or intentionally convinced you otherwise. Perhaps the focus could shift to what positive energy you can BRING to a space, what joy can you BRING to a group.

Imagine that you are an artist and that you will focus on “artist” things like how many red ties are there in the room, who has the nicest smile, who has the saddest face. Or imagine that you are a reporter and that you need to come away with at least one good story. Of course, don’t TELL people you are an artist (unless you actually are).

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Improve Your Sound

A beautiful voice is completely dependent upon beautiful breathing. A beautiful voice is a true reflection of the mind, body and spirit of the speaker. While we are stuck with the vocal chords we inherited, they are almost always good enough.

Improve your breathing and you will improve your sound. That’s a fact. It is a good bet that the sound you typically produce is higher, thinner and less resonant than your true and natural tone. You and everyone around you have come to accept this as your normal voice. It isn’t.

How you sound strongly influences the way people respond to you and remember you. This is more than just an aesthetics exercise. To find your true pitch say “uh huh” a few times as if you are agreeing with someone. That sound is close to your true pitch.

A relaxed face (remember your sinus cavities resonate your sound), relaxed tongue and jaws, “tall” spine and a slow deep breath are the strings on which this instrument, your voice, is played. Each rich full exhalation is incredibly important as it flows through your vocal chords. If you doubt this, try speaking while you’re are breathing in!

Take your time when you have something important to say. Actually if it isn’t important then why are you saying it? When you rush, you don’t have time to take a full breath and you will sound like a badly tuned cheap violin when you are actually a well-tuned priceless cello.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.