You're doing it right now and you're probably doing it wrong.
Most people do not breathe correctly, however, because they have a build up of stress, which triggers a fight or flight response, said Heidi Anderson, education and special events coordinator at WellWorks.
WellWorks is a wellness facility located in Grover Center with membership open to Ohio University faculty, their families, Athens residents and graduate students.
Chronic stress causes headaches, dizziness, muscle tension and fatigue.
Breathing correctly is one of the best and easiest ways to reduce stress, Anderson said.
Breathe in for a count of four
hold it for seven counts and let it out for eight counts said Anderson, who teaches Breathwork, a series of breathing exercises designed to reduce stress levels, at WellWorks.
If it is practiced two times a day, four cycles each time, then slow, deep breathing becomes automatic again, Anderson said. Deep breathing then distributes air to all of the body's cells making it easier to deal with stress.
Tiffany Bowden's work to help OU students deal with stress is more external.
Bowden, 25, a graduate student in the Media Studies program and a representative for Mary Kay, organized Free Facial Friday with fellow representative and grad student Kadian Sinclair. They began the workshop showing students how to give themselves facials with Mary Kay products on Sept. 26.
Free Facial Friday is just basically a time that people can push pause on the world and they can sit down
pamper themselves
relax and hang out
Bowden said.
There are two types of stress, said Dr. Shelia Williams, a clinical mental health counselor at Hudson Health Center. Good types of stress known as eustress and bad stress or distress are both usually triggered by an event or stressor.
How we interpret the event and what we do to cope with it are all aspects of stress
Williams said.
But participating in events like Free Facial Friday can allow students to take a break from hectic college schedules.
Students can use simple breathing exercises to lower stress and anxiety about midterms.
Essentially
Americans are trying to fit five minutes into one minute. The more we do that
the more stressed out we get
Bowden said.
