Why deep breathing and acts of kindness are so beneficial to us right now 

In days of old we'd see the tiger, take in a breath of horror and, with an activated stress response, we'd run and run and run, breathing into our chests, transporting oxygen and sugar through the bloodstream into our muscles until we'd finally reach safety, roll a stone across our doorway of our cave and then let out a huge sigh of relief! It's that sigh of relief that signals to our body that we are safe and sound. It's that beautiful long 'out breath' which switches on the relaxation response and turns off the stress response.  In other words, our breath is information, and always was, before we ever used language. 

Now let's think about this current 'monster' ... Covid19

COVID-19 is a very different thing. We know there is a 'threat' out there. We can't see it and we have nowhere really to run, so there is no out breath of relief.  We feel anxiety for all the known and various unknown consequences of it. Our stress response remains activated and over time becomes chronic.  Unfortunately, chronic stress is not helpful to either our physical or mental health. Amongst other things it may weaken the immune system and renders us 'stupid' because it shuts down the pre-frontal cortex part of our brains. We get locked into black and white thinking, and we’re left feeling isolated, disconnected and prone to catastrophising.  This short video by Prisma Broadcast explains why this happens and how breathing helps (please note: the video was filmed prior to the current coronavirus crisis, and is in the editing process, but was kindly given).

Add in some kindness

Once we’ve got back to a base level of stress through breathing and re-engaged the pre-frontal cortex - our thinking, creative, imaginative part of the brain - we can then go a step further and actually activate the physiological ‘opposite response’ to stress. Amazingly we can create the antithesis of the ‘stress’ response by:

• Thinking, giving, receiving, or witnessing kind thoughts and actions 
• Giving, receiving or witnessing positive touch
• Feeling a sense of connection 

Doing, or even just feeling, a sense of kindness and connection is good for our physical and emotional health. Such feelings are known to boost our immune system, by increasing the production of SrgA molecules, part of our mucosal immune system found in the gut, and boost our oxytocin production. Oxytocin is commonly known as the ’calm, kind, connect’ hormone. It has more recently also been coined the ‘cardioprotective’ hormone because it also acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory throughout the cardiovascular system as well as stimulating the production of Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide has a myriad of cardiovascular benefits, including keeping our arteries smooth, clear and elastic, so protecting them from becoming hard, calcified, clogged and brittle.  It turns out that our physical health is influenced by how we are ‘feeling and breathing’!

Deep breathing

If we regularly do some deep belly breathing, where the out-breath is longer than the in-breath, we can keep returning our stress levels back to base level. This creates more coping capacity for the rest of the day’s events. I routinely do about 6-10 of these breaths every time I brush my teeth, boil the kettle, and turn on my PC, as well when I feel my stress levels rising.  Then through either doing, or if you are in isolation just thinking kind thoughts and deeds, we can become experts at creating hormones which help us to feel calm, connected, compassionate and kind to ourselves, each other and the world as a whole.  What better way to boost our immune system, protect our cardiovascular health and feel connected right now! For other ways of meeting your emotional needs read my latest blog, and my previous article on Wellbeing about 'how to look after your emotional health during coronavirus'. Words: Helen Prosper