Breathe
Many urticaria patients know it in the process of a flare-up or when angioedema occurs. The airways swell up. You can no longer breathe when the mucous membranes start to swell, the lungs start to rattle, mucus forms, some react with asthma, others with spastic bronchitis. It becomes serious and you get – quite rightly – SCARED. Now you have to react quickly, take the emergency kit and call the rescue. The stress remains until the rescue arrives on time or the emergency kit takes effect. Some patients are in need of immediate medical help on a regular, life-sustaining basis. Therefore, many also carry an emergency kit for these cases.
The breath does an enormous amount for us.When we simply exhale, for example, it transports toxins out of the body. Most people – for whatever reason – breathe shallowly and not with abdominal breathing. When we are stressed, very tense or in pain, we tend to hold our breath. It stops. It also happens to us when we are afraid.
We recommend paying attention to a good, deep breath several times a day. Breathe in and out consciously as often as possible. Use every moment to realize that you can breathe without discomfort at this very moment. Maybe you have a forest near you where you can go for a nice walk and practice abdominal breathing, sitting on a park bench by the lake. But even when you’re lying in bed, you can pay attention to good, conscious breathing and that can help a lot.
For all these reasons, it is worth paying attention to our breath.
It is always there. We take about 23,000 to 25,000 breaths when we inhale. Unconsciously and often unnoticed, it flows through the body – the breath.
The breath provides us, besides other things, with oxygen, which we need to maintain our physical functions and thus to live. But it can do so much more.
The system of breath includes the body, the mind and the unconscious, it is unique and very complex.
Breathing reacts very sensibly and immediately to psychological as well as physical changes, e.g. holding our breath in case of pain or when we see something impressive.
If we consciously bring the breath back into our lives, the joy of life begins to grow, as well as mental and physical energy.
A small exercise:
Stand in a comfortable place, close your eyes if possible and place your hands on your stomach. Start breathing in consciously and more intensively through your nose and out through your mouth. Do this a few times in a row. Then take a step forward, take your hands off your belly and slowly open your eyes and get used to your surroundings again.
Practice this at least once a day, preferably in nature.
This exercise focuses on the conscious inhalation and exhalation, and supports the quality of the breath. It is unusual for many and it takes some time to (re)gain confidence in the breath.
AtmenBreathing is living. Living means breathing.
Authors:
Maria Ch. Erasmus, Breathing coach
Silvie Gross
Film recommendation:
Breathe by Karl Markovic
www.atem-der-film.at
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