Decompress That Pressure!

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Decompression After Working And Schooling From Home (Quick-ish post)

Decompression by definition, simply put, is to release pressure. Our daily lives are full of pressure coming from all directions! We have to give ourselves props! If any mechanical engine were to receive the amount of pressure we receive daily, it would flat out break!

We get pressure directly, indirectly, sideways, upside down, EVERYWHERE! Emotional, social, and physical pressure from the media, work, school, friends and family. You name it! So, what can we do to release this pressure from our everyday lives before we break?

Step 1: Take the time to breathe ...properly. (Here comes the Fluff, skip to the easy outline here!)

Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels

"I breathe normal every day, how could I be doing it wrong?" The truth is, we don't. We don't take the time to take that "deep breath" that we need and deserve. The easiest step you can take, the step you can do anytime and anywhere, is breathe! As mentioned in my writer's block post we must take a step back and breathe to de-stress, decompress, and relax. Breathing properly can also help promote concentration, regaining focus, just letting go, and overall better sleep. 

Some Techniques

For some, Yoga or meditation can be taboo or cumbersome mostly because it requires extra work or is horribly misunderstood. So, I won't explore that and to breathe, you don't need to do anything crazy special or uncomfortable. 

Being an asthmatic, I learned a good starting point; put your hands on top of your head with your elbows open wide. This allows the most amount of air to enter your lungs and opens your airway. You can practice any breathing technique out there or use my favorite technique: breathe in for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and breathe out your mouth for eight seconds. Another favorite breathing technique I use is to breathe in slowly and as much as you can, then immediately release the air as slowly as you can and as much as possible.

Recommendation: Sit in a comfortable spot and in a comfortable position. Sometimes these breathing techniques can make you a little light headed as you're allowing more oxygen to go to your brain than you are used to. I would suggest not lying down. As comfortable and nice as this sounds, during these breathing techniques you are robbing yourself of incoming air by putting pressure on your lungs. 

Step 2: Do Nothing!

This sounds easier than it really is. For a good thirty minutes to an hour, do nothing. Turn off the T.V., your computer, and your phone. Find a comfortable spot, have a seat, and just examine. Examine the room you're in, go outside, look out the window, and just watch everything and anything. No distractions. Or, take a nap.

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Step 3: Go for a walk.

You can honestly do any exercise but, I find walking to be the most relaxing. You can step in place, use a treadmill, or go outside. Just get moving! You don't need to do anything fast or intense. Do it as little as fifteen minutes or up to an hour and a half. Walking helps lower your blood pressure, forces you to breathe, and without paying attention gets your limbs moving. Also, exercise naturally creates endorphins which make you feel happy!

My favorite acupuncturist, despite the ailment I'm encountering at the time, has always encouraged me to walk outside to relieve my pain and stress because we look around and pay attention when we're outside. We're loosening everything up! When we do this, moving our arms around, our legs, our back, and most importantly our neck to unwind and decompress those joints and muscles.

Step 4: Stretch.

When we get stressed, it is our body's natural reaction to physically tense up. That's our muscles compressing with or without us noticing and it can be uncomfortable and wear us out. Do any stretches. Some may help more than others. Stretching anything, especially after a workout, will help with flexibility, help with dealing with stress, and just loosen up and release that compression. The best part about doing this? It feels GREAT!

Step 5: Have Fun.

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Do something you believe to be fun. You can listen to some music, watch your favorite show, pop some popcorn and watch a movie, video games, play with your kids, anything really. Even better, get a friend or your family involved in steps 1 through 5 to relieve some of that social tension and decompress their daily stresses too. This doesn't only help you, but can help everyone else in the household. It will help a friend or family member who can use the interaction. 

In Closing.

Despite the pandemic or any other conditions like bad weather, luckily you can do all these steps indoors and in the comfort of your own home. Safely get others involved to do this with you; family, friends, room mates, your dog, or just anyone who needs it! Let's decompress before we explode!

Now for the moment you've been waiting for! The outline! (Missed out on the reading? Click back to the top!)

1. Take time to breathe properly. Find your own technique or check out these recommendations here! 
2. Don't do a thing. Take a break. Turn everything off everything. Maybe even take a nap!
3. Go for a walk. Walks help loosen you up and make you use all your limbs more often. Exercise also promotes the build up of endorphins, which make us happy!
4. Stretch it out! Loosening up can really help you decompress and unwind. Not to mention its good for you and feels great!
5. Have fun! Play games, get friends and family involved, watch your favorite show, anything!